There's No Place Like Home
by EiswolfZero
Summary: After bringing the Justice Lords in things should have been pretty straight forward. Go home. Know that the portal would never be used again. Let life go on. But things have never gone the way they should and now Wally and Bruce are trapped in a dimension that isn't theirs. Batman/Flash & Lord Batman
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi!_**

**_I participated in Nanowrimo this year, as some of you may know. The story isn't finished yet but as there are already over 80 pages of text and I'm quite curious to know how you would even like the story I figured I'd throw out the first chapter._**

**_Important things:  
_****_No beta this time_**  
**_I'm having a difficult time splitting this into chapters because I wrote it as one ongoing story. I'll try to make the endings and beginnings as smooth as possible but it might show at some points._**  
**_I really worked hard to implement the pairing this time, because for some reason that always fell short in my last stories, despite being the driving force (maybe I should write pure fluff to practice that)_**

**_I'm not happy with the Summary (and title), might change it!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

Another successful mission. Well, _mission_. Could it really be called a mission when they had actually been kidnapped into another dimension by alternate versions of themselves (of the others, Wally reminded himself, his version was _dead_) for the sole reason of...of taking him in? Because they missed his alternate version so much?

_Only Lord Batman did_, a thought at the back of his mind reminded him. _The others hardly looked at me the welcoming way. _

But they had helped regardless. Had worked together with Lord Batman to get the other's under control, to give the people some form of help that they had been missing since his alternate self's death.

Still, it was successful and Wally was fairly sure that Bruce would declare it as a successful, albeit weird, _mission _in a report. That's just how Bats was.

They had just said their goodbyes, the other's having already walked through the portal while he gave a friendly wave to Lord Batman, his own Batman crowding the space at his back to encourage him through the portal. What was Bats so nervous about? It wasn't as if Wally meant to stay back and live out his life here.

He shook his head and stepped forward, the energy radiating off from the portal touching his foot when he felt another, different kind of energy at the back of his body. It wasn't as weird as the portal's, no, it was simply...heat.

Confused Wally turned back again, just in time to see a laser beam close in on them. On Bruce, seeing how the other was more or less pushing against his back.

"Bats!" Wally called out but the sound got swallowed as he jumped to action and threw himself into Bruce's body, causing both of them to fall to the side and away from the portal.

Both men grunted as they hit the floor, the speed with which he had moved far greater than he had meant it to be.

"Are you hurt?!" Hastily, Wally got off of Bruce and let his hands flit over the other's body, only to jerk back when Bruce curled up with a groan, his hands on his right side. Blood was already staining the already black fabric of the suit and the faint smell of burnt material and flesh wafted up to Wally.

Whatis_happening_?!

Mind in disarray, Wally only then looked up (stupid, don't let your guard down _now_) to see Lord Superman hover in front of Lord Batman, the latter's' hands flying over the console. The portal powered down a second later. Wally could feel and hear it as the cave became quiet, save for a few faint echoes of sound.

"What…," Wally began and looked at both Lords, Lord Superman's face a look of anger and smugness.

"Did you think you could get away so easily, _Wally?_," Lord Superman said with a sneer. "That we would let you go after building something that can cross _dimensions _for _you_?"

"Why?!" Wally placed his hands on Bruce's shoulder, already glancing at all the nooks and crannies in the cave for a way out. The cave was similar enough for him to successfully make his way out of there, he'd just have to buy time. "I thought...I thought we were over this?" The last bit was aimed at Lord Batman, who had avoided looking at them until now.

Now he stepped up to stand beside Lord Superman, who was tense and ready to spring. "Because-"

"Enough talking!" With a roar, Lord Superman suddenly charged them and it took every muscle in Wally's body to get him _and Bruce _out of harm's way.

It had only been a few meters but enough to cause their enemy to barrel past them, giving Wally a few more seconds to think about an escape plan. Bruce would be no help to him, the other was sitting up but Wally could hear the strained breaths coming from him.

"Give me a moment," Wally murmured to Bruce and was suddenly gone, only to be intercepted from Lord Superman.

"Oh, you won't get out of here," he taunted at Wally and moved to grab the speedster, only to have his hand go into empty air and Wally already on the other side of the cave again. Lord Superman followed, shifting into faster gear now that there was a Speedster to obtain. "That's cute," he commented as he intercepted Wally once more.

"What?" Wally all but barked at the wrong version of his friend. "You think you can contain _me?!"_ They needed a way out. They needed a way out and enough time for Wally to actually pick Bruce up and get out of there. But how-

"I'm faster than you think I am," Lord Superman countered, but all he received was a scoff and his expression turned to a sneer. "You haven't seen me at my fastest."

Wally took a step back when Lord Superman's eyes started to glow a faint red. He even managed to show no fear on his face (but he was afraid, he wanted to go _home_), only determination. "And you're slower than you think you are." With that Wally was suddenly at Bruce's side again, helping the other up on shaky feet, there were faint sparks dancing over his arms and feet.

"Wally-," Bruce began.

"Not now," Wally cut him off, glaring at Lord Batman and then at Lord Superman to note their positions.

"He's going to get away!"

Lord Batman started to run towards them - _What's he planning to do? Threaten us to stay?!_ Wally scoffed inside his mind - while Lord Superman flew towards them, faster than when he had intercepted the Speedster.

In between the second it took for Lord Superman to actually reach them Wally sneered again. "Slowpoke," he mocked mere meters away from their enemy - whose eyes were glowing _real bright -_ as he picked up Bruce with all he had (it was more of a tackle to the side into the other's already insured body) and gave a mock salute and a grin that looked as stressed as he felt. Then they were gone. Out of the cave and out of Gotham.

One of his legs felt hot, like having a cramp.

Wally ignored the feeling as he rounded Earth two times before he stopped on the other side of it, away from Gotham. He skidded to an easy halt before setting Bruce on his feet, though Bruce leaned heavily on him and dry heaved a few times, spit slowly trickling down until Bruce spat it out all at once.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Bruce shook his head and took deep breaths, letting Wally hold most of his weight before looking around. "We….we need to get back to Gotham."

"What?! Are you insane? I just got us here. Supes is fast but not _that _fast!" Maybe he shouldn't have gone that fast. Maybe he had damaged Bruce's body somehow and _whatshouldtheydonowohmygod._

"Calm...calm down Wally," Bruce said quietly, one hand pressing against the wound on his side. Blood was slowly dripping down from it. "They'll know where we are and we...have to evade them. For now."

Bruce's legs were shaking and for one second Wally thought the other would collapse, only for him to regain some control and remain standing. Sometimes Wally admired the other's pain threshold...or stubbornness. Whatever kept him upright right now..

"But why Gotham? That's like...getting back to them!"

"If you were ever to get away from me in that fashion, then I know that you'd choose to go the farthest. So we have to get back, hide under their noses. Outside of Gotham until we have a better plan. Take us there but stay under the speed of sound."

"I...what? Why?" Wally's head was swimming with all that information. It didn't surprise him too much that Bruce kinda knew how he'd behave in case of running away but...it was still scary seeing Bruce get into Lord Batman's head like that.

"He can detect your pattern if you run faster than the speed of sound, because I can do that too."

_What?!_

"We shouldn't stay here too long," Bruce looked around as if Lord Superman would show up any second now. "We need to go now."

"Alright, okay...just...slow. I can do that, sure."

It was easier to pick Bruce up when the other was actually helping out (but he was still _so heavy_) and Wally couldn't help but stagger a bit before simply starting to run. Momentum would help him keep the other within his arms.

At first he ran slowly, just enough to get used to the weight - they didn't dare to do piggyback with Bruce's wound - and then began to get faster. Staying below the speed of sound wasn't too complicated but it did complicate his route. He stayed mostly on water and avoided mountains since he was fairly sure they wouldn't make it across them in one piece. It was one thing when he tripped at full momentum but it was another with Bruce in his arms.

When he was on land, Wally even slowed down some more and checked the sky, taking to forests despite the added difficulty of avoiding trees. It was better to stay covered.

Soon enough Gotham was in sight again and Wally stopped in a forest just outside of it. They could see the outskirts of the city from where they were but it was still rather far away. All they could see were just some faint lights.

Here it was raining, the soft pitter patter of water on the trees making this almost like a nice experience. If it weren't for the being chased part.

Carefully he let go of Bruce and looked around, the sky already getting darker now that the night was approaching.

He was pulled out of his observation when Bruce staggered to the side and fell on one knee. Wally immediately took hold of the other's arm again and helped him sit down.

"We need to find shelter," Bruce murmured. "From the rain and the night. We'll wait the night out and then see what we can do. Look around but do it slowly."

Of course. Bruce was injured and barely standing but still giving orders like it was no one else's business (_thank god _he was, because that meant he was well enough. Right?).

Instead of replying, Wally just zipped through the forest around them, doing so at a very slow pace.

Usually he'd scoff at the notion of being chased, because who could catch up to _him_? But in this case, knowing that a Batman and a Superman were on his case...that was scary. Lord Batman because...well...any Batman was scary if they focused on something enough and Lord Superman because he was so ruthless. Why catch Wally and keep him there? Did they think he'd roll over and take whatever cell they'd give him and play pretend? They were out of their minds if that was the case.

Shaking these thoughts off, Wally scoured the forest for any kind of shelter and stumbled upon a rather big tree with hollow roots. It wasn't exactly a cave and wind would still get to them but it was the first thing he had come across that provided what they needed at the moment. They'd just have to make do.

He was back within the next second, mindful of his speed, as he grabbed Bruce's forearms with both hands and helped him up. The other followed easily without asking any questions and managed to get up on his feet again.

"Alright?" Wally asked concerned but Bruce just shook his head and motioned for Wally to lead the way.

It took a few minutes without his speed to get through the underbrush of the forest. It wasn't that thick, it certainly wasn't a jungle, but the rapid lack of light and already wet ground didn't make things easier for them anyway. Bruce barely managed to stay upright on his own and that unnecessary feeling in his left leg made walking annoying. He didn't need any weird side effects of his metabolism right now.

He breathed out in relief when he saw the hollowed-out tree and led Bruce to the roots, helping him crawl underneath it before making sure that their tracks were covered. Along the way he got two fallen off branches and placed them over the opening of the roots after he crawled in as well, blocking the outside world off to some degree.

The space underneath the tree wasn't that generous and Wally found himself more or less sitting beside Bruce, their shoulders touching. It was then that he noticed the faint shaking of the other's body. Right, the wound. He hadn't forgotten about it but he had..kind of forgotten about dealing with it, now that the issue of running away had been dealt with. But he didn't get to ask about it because Bruce spoke up first.

"Can you slow your heart rate close to what is considered non speedster?" While asking, Bruce moved one of his hands over his belt and checked some of the pouches there.

"I...yes. I guess I can do that, why?" But he was already drawing in deeper breaths, using the same kind of control over his heart as he had done to trick Lord Batman before. The only difference was that slowing down wasn't as easy as speeding up, especially if he was to keep it up the entire night.

Bruce fished some kind of small, white disk out of a pouch and clicked on it, causing it to expand. "In case Lord Superman searches for us with his ears. I don't think that he can distinguish us that well with all the noise on Earth but we shouldn't take any risks. Here," he handed the disk over to Wally who took it, though he looked confused at it.

"Tap it twice and then press it against my wound. It will heat up and burn it close."

"W-what? Burn it close? But what about inner bleeding?!"

"It will have to be enough for now. With any luck most of it was sealed off by the heat of the initial attack and all that's left is to stop the bleeding." Now that the stress of moving around was over, Bruce seemed to show more and more signs of how much pain he was in. Before he had seemed fine enough to order Wally around, to give commands and handle the traveling but now the faint shaking had involved to something more. Even his voice was slightly slurring, giving Wally the impression that Bruce might not be awake for much longer.

That thought scared him.

Uncertain, Wally glanced at the disk and then Bruce's side where blood was still leaking out, albeit sluggish. If they sealed this off and there was internal bleeding Bruce would slowly bleed to death...but if left open the same would happen anyway. Bruce was right. In the end they'd just have to be lucky.

He could steal a First Aid kit from somewhere but… he wasn't a doctor. What would he do once he got that First Aid kid, except from putting them into danger by running around? No. The disk would have to do.

"Brace yourself," Wally murmured and did as instructed. Upon tapping the disk twice it suddenly lit up and the faint smell of _heat _reached his nose. Without waiting he leaned forward and pulled Bruce's hand away from the wound and pressed the disk against it. There was an ugly hissing noise upon contact, the smell of heat turning into the smell of burning _flesh_ and Wally found himself gagging once before he quickly steeled himself against it.

Bruce's reaction was more severe. Gritted teeth and a tension that could snap anyone's back as a repressed growl escaped him. The hand that Wally had pulled out of the way now gripped Wally's wrist with a force that might have crushed it if his body weren't already going against it by constantly healing any of the applied pressure. It still felt as if he was losing all blood in his fingers.

He didn't know how long he was supposed to hold the disk there but didn't get a chance to ask. The disk stopped glowing after a few seconds and there was no heat radiating off of it anymore so he slowly took it away. Where the wound was, was now burning edges of the ripped open suit and a sealed off wound. The skin was shiny and raw, exactly what one would expect after getting burned to a certain degree. Whatever scar would stay from that one wouldn't be a pretty one.

"There...done," Wally breathed out and turned the disk over in his hand. When no reply came from Bruce he looked up, only to find the other with closed eyes and a calmer breathing pattern than before.

Unconscious.

Nervously he put the disk aside and removed Bruce's hand from his wrist, no tension in the fingers anymore, and took the glove off. He checked the other's pulse and was glad to note that it didn't seem too slow or erratic. (To be honest Wally didn't know. He _didn't know_ and could only _guess_ and he should've asked Bruce about this sometime, shouldn't he?)

Putting the glove back on proved to be too difficult so he set it aside for the moment. Instead he made sure that Bruce was laying down comfortable, taking up most of the space underneath the tree, and sat himself near the entrance. Sitting like this caused Bruce's arm to be in constant touch with Wally's lower back, since he had positioned the ungloved hand on Bruce's chest.

So that was it then. Night had quickly fallen and two mad but powerful beings were on the hunt for them. The most discouraging thing about this was probably the knowledge of having no way to return home. Heck, they were in a different _dimension _not just over at the next house.

Wally wondered what their friends were thinking right now. Maybe they had panicked after the portal had closed without them having come through. Maybe they thought the portal had malfunctioned and they were just stuck on this side, happily working together with Lord Batman to get it to work again. Or would they suspect foul play?

If Bruce were just...better and not hurt. He turned his head to the side, watching Bruce's face, a neutral expression on it. At least that meant he wasn't in too much pain. Or couldn't feel it.

_Unconscious not sleeping, remember?_

"What do we do?" Wally murmured and turned his head back to the entrance. If Bruce weren't hurt then they would probably already planning some kind of scheme to get into the Batcave and turn the portal on. But now? Now they had to recuperate and the Lords would have enough time to device any kind of defense against them.

Blinking a few times, Wally pulled his knees up to his chest and held them close, hiding his face against them. How could Lord Batman betray them like this?! They had fought against the Lords together! Had brought them in and…._we had brought them all in_, Wally suddenly realized. Did that mean the others were free too?! Was there some Lord J'onn out there mentally searching for them?

Oh god.

They were _fucked_, they were utterly and thoroughly _fucked_.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why…," Wally groaned into his knees, feeling rather hopeless about their current situation. He tried to become even smaller when the burning ache in his leg returned. With a frown, he lifted his head and titled his legs just slightly so to inspect the burning area on his upper leg.

His suit was damaged right where the pain came from. Frayed, blackened edges of it hanging away and an almost completely closed wound, still weeping somewhat, greeting him. _Oh._ One of Lord Superman's attacks - when they were running away - must have grazed him. But it was fine. _He _was fine. It was already healing.

It was hurting right now. He could feel his heartbeat - _keep it slow, Bruce asked you to do this one thing - _in it. Absentmindedly he put his hand over the wound as he pulled his knees close to his chest again and rested his head on the other arm up on the propped-up knees.

It would be better if he could sleep a bit as well. The night would already be long enough without him sitting there and watching seconds drag by but...then his heartbeat would relax to _his _kind of normal. And what if Bruce woke up or had some problem while sleeping. Or what if...what if Lord Superman suddenly showed up. What if he showed up and pulled the tree right out of the earth? Then he'd have only one, maybe two, seconds to get Bruce up from the ground and away.

Yeah. Sleeping wouldn't be the best idea now. He'd stay awake and be their guard. At least until Bruce woke up and demanded he sleep a bit as well. _If he woke up, _a small voice whispered and Wally quickly shook his head, burying his head further into the crook of his elbow. _Don't think like that! Of course Bruce was going to wake up again, idiot._

Wally deliberately tried to stay away from any too dooming thoughts after that, especially those concerning Bruce's health. Instead he took the time and watched the rain get heavier, which in turn caused some water to trickle into their little hideout. At least the chance of discovery was getting smaller, what with the heavy rain being kinda noisy.

The air became cooler as well and Wally did his best to kind of shield Bruce from it, changing his position to take up more space but stay flush with the other's body.

Any other time he would be elated to be so close to Bruce. The situation would feel vastly different if the other were uninjured and awake. He could just imagine the awkwardness of being crowded together with the Bat underneath this tree. The closeness and resulting brushes against each other. Sure, nothing would happen but...Wally rarely got that much time alone with the other. Not that he had tried very hard in the past for fear of upsetting Bruce to the point of making it unbearable to be in the same room. He just knew himself that well. He just wasn't any good with flirting, especially with someone like Bruce.

Heck, the guy was a celebrity. What exactly had Wally to offer?

Nothing, that's what he could offer. A never-ending urge to eat, maybe, and Wally didn't like feeling like a gold digger. Or food digger in that case. Still he sometimes wondered. How it would be to be on friendly..._friendlier_ terms with Bruce.

A groan from the side drew his attention right before he could start really fantasizing about anything, since there wasn't really anything to do while staying awake after all.

Bruce must have switched from being unconscious to actual sleep, if the way he started to slightly curl up was any indication, though Wally couldn't see much in the darkness. He rather felt than saw the motion and with the limited space they had, he had a pretty good idea that Bruce was curling up. Bruce's breath sounded a bit heavier as well and Wally gently placed a hand on his shoulder without actually keeping him from curling up. (Such a strange thing, to see...experience Batman so vulnerable).

The other didn't react to the touch, something that was already telling him enough about how hurt Bruce must be, and just kept on sleeping. The noises soon stopped but the tension stayed, even when Wally started to rub lazy circles with his thumb over the broad shoulder. Bruce probably didn't even feel it through the suit. But there was little else Wally could do and it put himself a bit at ease, to at least try to provide some kind of comfort.

Even with his eyes used to the darkness Wally could barely make out Bruce's outline, the black suit provided cover even now when there was no need. His eyes stayed on the black shadow before him however, staring into the dark instead out of their little hideout. There wasn't much to see anyway. Just the faint movement of way too many raindrops and sometimes the treetops swaying in the wind.

All together was pretty loud actually, when Wally focused on everything and how it would sound at a human's speed (it was easier with his heart beat slowed down, his body naturally followed, even when he could never actually understand it himself), and he wondered how Bruce could just sleep through it all. He had seen the other shrug off different wounds before, bigger ones during the heat of a battle. Then again...he rarely saw Bruce after such a battle, so he had actually no idea what Bruce did after that.

Did he go home and sleep this heavily as well? Was this his post battle coma with an unfortunate injury?

That just proved to him, once more, that Wally had never actually bothered to find that out before (never mind that Bruce probably wouldn't have told him anyway). Sure, Bruce had landed in the medical wing a few times as well but usually vanished at some point and since Clark never seemed too bothered Wally hadn't bothered as well. He had been mildly concerned but not enough to actually pester Bruce about it.

Sighing, Wally closed his eyes and slowly laid back as well, his back not exactly aching from his sitting position but still uncomfortably tense after a while. This was worse than monitor duty and he didn't even have a way to tell the time. With his _luck _it had just been an hour or so, with no end of the night in sight.

Now that he was lying flush against Bruce, their sides touching all the way down. He noted the heat radiating off of the other, even through the suit. At least they weren't freezing despite the cold rain and wind just a meter away, seeing how his own suit was hardly that thick.

Bruce had said that they'd wait the night out here in the forest but what then? Wally was never that much of a planner but he had to admit that it was unnerving to not know what they'd do after that. The idea to just speed into the Batcave and turn the portal on was enticing, only that the way Batman, any Batman really, was one paranoid clusterfuck made that impossible. There were probably already five new codes in place of the original one. Even though Bruce had given him the correct code back then (and that had been a gamble as well, hadn't it? What were the odds of that, even if both were Batman?!) he seriously doubted that he could give him the right code now. And trying out one after another just called for trouble as one wrong code would probably alert Lord Batman of any intruder.

If the cave itself wasn't already rigged that way.

So infiltrating the cave on a hunch just wouldn't work. They'd have to play an evasive game then. Something he needed Bruce for. Wally never minded to function as a distraction, of being a nuisance until the real plan could be played out, but without Bruce there was no plan. There was just him. For now.

_Bruce isn't dead,_ he reminded himself and snuggled just a bit closer to Bruce.

But a plan B never hurt. Bats was all about plans. Always. Which meant he had to prepare for the possibility of doing this alone. Well...if that really were to happen then he knew what he'd do first things first. Cry, because what else would be there to do?

Quickly he shook his head and opened his eyes, though nothing but more darkness greeted him. He should take this more seriously. It was just that Bruce was the one that had plans, not him. He acted on instinct and…his instinct told him to get help.

_Get help_.

They...could get help. From someone. Anyone.

Eyes wide, people he knew entered his thoughts but got dismissed immediately. The League was out of the question because those were the ones they went up against. (Not the League, the Lords. They weren't _them _anymore) So maybe...maybe Dick. Surely Dick had been his friend here as well and he couldn't imagine his childhood friend going along with what Lord Batman had done.

Then again he wouldn't have thought the Lord's possible either. Maybe he didn't know anyone as well as he thought he did. Bitterness churned in his chest and he dismissed Dick again. Lord Batman claimed to know him well and if he did, then he'd know that Wally would seek out Dick at some point. If this alternate version was even still alive.

No. He'd have to think like Batman, like Lord Batman who'd think like Bruce and...Wally groaned as he brought up his free hand and massaged his temple. This was just giving him a headache. Bruce was going to know if Lord Batman would anticipate any idea Wally would have.

But then... Bruce _had _said that he could never anticipate _him_.

_He _was the wild card in all of this.

His heart was pounding and he forcefully reminded himself to keep it _slow_, to not do anything rash.

So they needed help but couldn't ask anyone who he'd normally ask. Which ruled out quite a few people from his childhood. Then there was Lord Superman. Wally didn't know what role he played in all of this. If the Kryptonian would start flying around Earth and sniff them out or something or wait for Lord Batman's instructions.

_...what if...but it would be a huge risk…_ Wally hummed softly to himself, feeling kind of sweaty for various reasons. One, Bruce was _really _radiating heat (was that normal?) and two, Wally was nervous about his slowly forming idea.

Technically, if that idea worked, then they'd do the same thing as they did now. Just hide underneath Lord Batman's and Superman's noses. He'd have to check out a few things first however.

Those would have to wait for now as he didn't want to leave Bruce alone. He wanted to talk to him at least, if only to see that everything was alright. And who knew? Maybe Bruce would wake up, masterplan already in mind and Wally worrying for nothing. He sincerely hoped it was like that and...well...if the masterplan had some missing components, at least he'd be able to provide a few ideas.

They _would _make it home. It was only a matter of time.

He could play the waiting game until then. He'd wait for the night to be over, wait for Bruce to wake up and wait for any kind if plan that they could act on.

Only that it was difficult. The waiting game. As a speedster he wasn't really made for these kinds of things. He had his own kind of patience, was really good at it actually, but in the end it didn't matter. In the end his kind of patience only amounted to a little bit of time and made him look like a douche in some cases.

Not that he had much choice in this case. Bruce would wake up when he was ready to wake up and the night would be over when it was over.

Closing his eyes would be a mistake as well. Not because it would make them more vulnerable. It was still dark as hell, eyes open or closed. But with his eyes closed he was more susceptible to fall asleep. Or doze off...Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Except that he felt bad for even contemplating it. Bruce was sick and Wally knew for a fact that Bruce would never, ever sleep during a mission if one of them was hurt and he was their only partner with them. The least he could do was return the favor.

If he was honest with himself, he was also kind of afraid of Bruce just...dying beside him and without him noticing. Technically he knew that Bruce wasn't _that _hurt, he had been fine before falling unconscious (_and what did that tell you West?_), so the chances of Bruce just passing away were almost nonexistent.

He sure hoped they were nonexistent.

So staring at the dark, dark ceiling it was. Wally even lifted his hand up to the tree above them once, following the deep grooves in the bark down here with his fingers before letting his arm fall on his chest. The blood had slowly drained out of his hand, making his fingers feel colder than necessary. Instead he focused on Bruce and his breathing pattern. While strained and obviously in pain it was still strong enough, normal enough, to assure Wally that things just had to be fine. There was the small urge to do the same to Bruce's shoulder and arm as he had done to the tree but he feared of waking the other up, so Wally clenched his fingers and turned his head to their hidden entrance.

The air wafting in was heavy with its dampness but fresh and cool. The side of his body closest to the opening was slightly wet and colder than the one pressed against Bruce who reflected his own generated heat like a professional.

There was a lull to it, the way his body was cold and warm and lying down in the dark. The noise of the rain outside with no thunder making it almost serene.

During that hour Wally found it the hardest to stay awake, his eyes drooping from time to time before he forced them open again. He even attempted to vibrate individual fingers to keep himself occupied before he gave that up again. Any usage of his speed made slowing down his heartbeat so much more complicated, so he opted to just focus on that. Which really sucked.

People thought being hyper aware of their breathing or their blinking was annoying but being hyper aware of it _and _controlling it all the time was even more so. The way he had speed it up before, in Lord Batman's cell, was nothing compared to this. Back then he only had to do it for a few seconds, not even a minute, before going back to letting his body do its things naturally.

He wondered if there would be any kind of repercussions to this.

Best not to think about it.

The air wafting in from the entrance got even colder at some point, the rain got lighter, while the darkness stopped being so oppressive. When he narrowed his eyes to look out between the few branches, he had hurriedly put over the entrance Wally was almost certain he could see a faint light brightening up the sky.

The sun was slowly rising.

Blinking a few more times, Wally told himself to remain as calm as possible. The sun rising meant he had almost made it but that it was still early as hell. Bruce could be out of it for a few more hours if the worst came to pass or wake up any minute now. If the wound wasn't interfering.

Sighing again, he settled a bit more, lying in a way that provided the best view out of their hideout so that he could watch the sky change its color. It was a slow drag, almost impossible to tell sometimes. One moment it was a dark blue and in the next orange was there, the sky subtly brighter. Or maybe he just zoned out here and there. At least like that he wouldn't truly fall asleep during these last few...whatever time frame it was.


	3. Chapter 3

The sky had the gentle color of rose, blue already at the edges somewhere, when Bruce groaned and moved beside him. Wally immediately sat up and almost hit his head against the ceiling. Almost.

Cautiously he put a hand on Bruce's shoulder, which oddly enough still radiated heat he wasn't used to coming from the Bat, and leaned to the side to let some of the weak light from the sky illuminate the other's face for him to see.

"Bruce?" He whispered, his fingers briefly squeezing until he reminded himself to be calm. "Hey, Bruce. You with me?"

There was a noise to his question but Wally wasn't sure if it was just a noise Bruce did because he was asleep and felt bothered or if he had actually heard and understood anything Wally had been saying and was replying to it.

When nothing came after a few more seconds, Wally slowly let go, discouraged and leaned away from Bruce again, only for the other to slowly uncurl from his position and lie on his back once more.

His eyes were open, at least a little bit.

"Flash?"

"You're awake!" Wally managed to whisper, despite his enthusiasm and elation at seeing the other awake again. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

With that declaration Bruce moved to sit up, only to have Wally help him until he could rest back against the roots of the tree. His breathing was heavy again and his entire posture slumped, something Wally rarely got to see the other doing.

"Are you really? You don't look fine, you-"

"I'm fine. Really."

Wally remained close, one hand resting on Bruce's knee. One of Bruce's hands was holding onto his side, where the roughly patched up wound was, and his breathing wasn't getting any easier, even after the activity of sitting up was over now.

Something wasn't right. Bruce hadn't internally bled to death. Something Wally was eternally grateful for but something else was going on. A wound rarely dragged Batman down that much. Unless…

Bruce's skin, from what Wally could see, was paler than usual and the constant heat radiating off of him… Wally had one hand on Bruce's jaw and cheek, whatever he could touch that the cowl wasn't hiding, before the big bad Bat could react.

Even with his own gloves on he could feel the heat seeping through.

"You have a fever." An infection?! But he had thought heat and fire cauterized wounds?! Or had he somehow managed to get the wound infected while running away with Bruce? By putting him underneath this tree?

He got pulled out of his spiraling thoughts by Bruce taking the hand away from his face and keeping hold of it.

"I do. It won't stop us."

"Except that it will. You're sick." And in no condition to fight his alternate version, let alone Lord Superman. Was it odd that Bruce had yet to let go of his hand? Maybe the other needed comfort? (When did Bats ever?) Tentatively, he gently squeezed back. He was a naturally tactile person, so these kinds of things came easy to him and since he wasn't immediately rebuked…

"I still have my wits about me. Don't worry."

"Alright," Wally conceded. "Let's plan then. Because we need one." Because he only had a stupid one so far and was in no way ready to tell it to Bats. Strange, how he had felt like sharing it almost immediately during the night, no matter how dumb it was, but now couldn't seem to do so.

"A plan…," Bruce trailed off.

That was hardly convincing.

"Yes. You know? These things where you use your _wits_ to come up with something?"

That earned him a smile. A soft one. It was rather hard keeping his heartbeat at such a _slow _rhythm with that kind of challenge.

"I told you before...whatever I do, he will anticipate."

"So you've said but..c'mon. You know I'm not a tactician. I can't do this alone. Maybe...maybe you could provide some kind of foundation and I go from there? Like you did yesterday. With getting us here so we could get out of the danger zone. Figuratively speaking."

"I need...time to think."

Right. Time. Wally had had the entire night while Bruce had exactly five minutes since waking up. Even Bruce wasn't that good. (Only that he was, wasn't he? If he weren't hurt and wouldn't have a fever…)

"I can wait," Wally offered and shuffled around to sit beside Bruce, shoulder touching shoulder. It was only then that Bruce let go of his hand.

Then his stomach growled. Rather audibly.

"No, you can't," Bruce murmured while Wally flushed a mild shade of red.

"I can. This is hardly the first time." Sure, his wound had finished healing and he had done a rather awful lot of running the day before, not to mention the fight they had had with the Lords… Alright, so maybe his fuel was running rather low but for now they had to focus on different th-

"Here."

A tiny, white tablet was held out to him. It was as big as the fingertip of his thumb. Curious, he took it.

"It's a combination of nutrients that I worked on. I haven't had the chance to test it with you yet," Bruce admitted. Had Bruce leaned more against Wally or was he imagining things?

"It's difficult to get as much as you need into such a tiny form and I'm sure it's not good for a long-term usage but for situations like this...we might as well try now. If you're willing to."

God, this man was amazing.

There was little to no hesitation on Wally's side as he put the tablet into his mouth and swallowed it. He knew that medicine and anything that was meant to help usually took it's time. With a non-speedster that was. Usually, when they put things into Wally, things like a sugar mix to help him heal, he could feel an instant change in the way he felt. Most of the times it was a mild difference between exhausted and motivated.

This wasn't so far off. He knew the moment the tablet disintegrated in his stomach. The exhaustion didn't go away, since that one had different reasons such as not sleeping, but he still felt...better. Still hungry as hell but he felt that he could go just a bit longer and not have to scarf down the next burger he saw. (Who was he kidding, he'd still scarf down anything edible he got. It just wasn't _that _bad right now)

Wally had focused so much on himself that he hadn't noticed Bruce watching him with his own exhausted expression.

"You look better already. Your skin looks healthier."

"Oh um...really?" _That_ he hadn't felt and he tapped his own cheek out of curiosity. There was no difference for him but a healthier expression rarely _felt _different. One just...glowed. Or some bullshit like that. "Thank you. For you..you know...thinking ahead like that." And providing it as well. As far as Wally was concerned Bruce could have just gone up to him and told him to deal with his food problem alone. To figure something out in case stuff like this happened during a mission.

Instead he had devised a solution and had provided it when necessary.

"You're welcome." Bruce nodded and rested his head against the bark behind them. "Don't forget, it's not for a long-term usage. Your body won't be happy about this one-sided nutrition."

"Got it. And ah...how many of those do you have?"

"A few. I suppose we could ration it, should we find out how long we are going to be stuck…"

That answered another question of Wally's. They _were _going to be stuck here at least days from the sound of it. If only it were as easy as barging into the Batcave, Bruce slung over his shoulder, and rushing through the portal. While probably an epic image, hardly something that was going to work. What with the Lord's guarding that cave and subsequently the portal.

"So…," Wally began again. "Ideas? We can't stay here. Obviously."

"Obviously."

"So?" Wally prompted again, though Bruce just closed his eyes. Concern settled more and more in his stomach at seeing the other like that. So...defeated. He wasn't sure if it was because of the fever or their situation. Or both.

They sat a good minute in silence until Wally couldn't take it anymore.

"I might have an...ah...idea."

That got Bruce's attention, the narrow line of white lenses turning to him. "Tell me."

"I could totally do it. Just gotta check something out first."

"Tell me about it."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a stupid idea."

There was a brief pause between their little argument, only for Bruce to shake his head. "Then no."

This is exactly what Wally suspected to happen. He shouldn't have said anything at all. Why mention an idea when it was stupid _and _would get denied by the Bat because of said stupidity?

But… "We don't exactly have much of a choice here," Wally argued cautiously. Maybe he could give up some part of his idea. Ease Bruce into it, so to say.

"Tell me then. I'll be the judge of that."

"The way I see it...we need help. Whatever we're going to do, we can't do it alone." Only that they could. If Bruce wouldn't have been in his current state. With a healthy Bat on his side they could have managed everything, between the other's wit and his own speed, he was sure of that.

"Who do you have in mind?"

Huh. He hadn't been shut down immediately, again. That was...nice.

"There aren't many that we could go to. I already discarded everyone I'd go to on my own." If only they wouldn't be chased by a Batman. "Like those close to me, those I trust with my life." So that meant they had to go to someone he didn't exactly trust with everything. He knew _them _to be good people, there was a reason Clark was the way he was, but he had only met them once.

"Who?" Bruce prompted again. If there was slight exasperation in the other's voice Wally couldn't fault him for it. He was dragging out his answer unnecessarily but...he was still nervous about being shot down.

Maybe he got this all wrong.

"The Kent's- no! No, please hear me out." He placed a hand on the other's arm, leaning even more against Bruce in his enthusiasm to explain his choice.

Bruce didn't say anything and just inclined his head.

The fever must be really bad. Why else would he entertain him like this? "Back home I've only met them once. It was super casual since I went there to get Clark for a nice get together because we could. Clark had been busy helping his dad and so I waited with his mom and then met his dad too. Very briefly that is but...the way I see it they might just help us.

We don't know anything about the other heroes and frankly I'm not sure if I could handle seeing anyone else deteriorated like the Lords are." A bitter note entered his voice as Wally stared at the entrance of their hideout. He still didn't understand how his death could have pushed the others so far. And there was no telling what they had enforced on the others. "I'm not sure if the Kent's would be willing to help us or rat us out the second they saw us...or me. I'd check with them first but...they are good people. Those that I know. Supes is such a nice guy for a reason," he explained and missed the way Bruce frowned, still unable to look at the other. "So maybe...maybe they...I don't know. I'm _hoping _that they are still good people, here in this dimension, despite Lord Superman."

Wally finished with a huff and forced himself to turn back to Bruce who seemed deep in thought, which was way more than he had imagined to accomplish with his idea.

It might not have been so stupid after all? Dangerous, yes. But maybe worth a shot.

"And what," Bruce began after a while of tense silence. "Do you expect them to do?"

He blinked at the question and felt the urge to put a hand through his hair, only that he'd have to remove his cowl for that.

"Well...mostly just to hide us. They can't really do more than that, could they? But it's a starting point. We can't sit underneath a tree near Gotham for _days_. Not with you being injured and with Lord Superman on the lookout for us. He'll eventually hear us." Or spot them, or smell them or other weird shit Lord Superman could do. Maybe he should ask Clark for a list the next time he saw him.

Sure, Lord Superman could do all that with them staying with his parents but there was just the faint hope that maybe..maybe they were estranged. (Wasn't that a horrible thought?!). That they remained good where Lord Superman had fallen and that would mean they'd have a possible blind spot.

"You put much thought into this," Bruce said (complimented?) and nodded at Wally, his gaze now shaper despite the flush Wally could see creeping over the other's cheeks underneath the cowl. "Why not your own parents?"

That...was _something_. Especially a load full of bullshit. Knowing his parents, he had hardly any hope for the version in this universe. "I suppose they'd rat us out the second we go there." Should Lord Batman have made it public or at least known that they were on the run. "And even if they were...well..._them_, I still wouldn't go there. Would you want your dead son to show up, only to hear that he's not him? That's kinda...cruel." And Wally wasn't that. Even if he had never connected with his parents, never _meant _anything to them the way a child should mean something...no one deserved that.

It seemed that Bruce came to the same conclusion because he only inclined his head. If he had further thoughts on it, then he didn't reveal them to Wally.

"When do you want to go?"

"I...what?" Like..go to the Kent's? Did that mean it _wasn't _a bad plan?

"Let's be clear. I don't _want _you out there. I don't want us to split up and hope for the best but so far your reasoning is sound and I must admit that the Kent's are an interesting choice. So go and do what you have in mind. Just remember to not use your communicator. Don't even turn it on. Even better, destroy it on your way there."

Bruce looked away from Wally and focused on the entrance before switching back to him. "There is only one way to find out. So when?"

Wally had turned his head to where Bruce had looked as well. Nothing was holding him back. Sure, it was still early but the Kent's were farmers at heart, that he knew for sure. It wouldn't take much to find their farm. If they hadn't moved.

"Will you be okay?" Wally looked back but already moved away from his position. Bruce actually had to catch himself and lean against the wall by himself rather than propped up by Wally's shoulder.

So Bruce _had _leaned on him more and more.

"I will be. You have around two hours before I assume something has gone wrong. Hide if either of _them_ shows up and I will do the same. For now there can't be a rendezvous point for us, so we'll have to make do."

What a complete shit show. They couldn't even meet up somewhere because nothing was really safe and easy reachable. At least not for Bruce.

"Okay….okay," Wally repeated as he moved to get out from underneath the tree. He stopped just before he made it and looked back to Bruce, a worried expression in his face. The other gave him a stern nod and gestured with his head to move on.

* * *

_**I think now is the time to tell you that I currently have only one more chapter "proof" read (it's a long one tho!) **_

_**Also, now that you've made it so far (thank you!) I'd like to warn you that the generel tone of the next chapters are more on the..calm side, I suppose. I really went for the word count here (the things I have to correct you guys lmao) and a certain tone that I sometimes like to read myself ;)**_

_**There will be some action though, just like in the beginning.**_

_**(I also had the idea to post it like a two part episode thing but then I'd have had to dump over 35 pages on you at once)**_


	4. Chapter 4

His heart was pounding as he watched the sky once he had crawled out from underneath the tree, warry for any sign of Lord Superman. The entrance was _hidden _with ease once more after he made sure to place the branches back over it and didn't dally long to move to Kansas as swiftly (but also _slowly)_ as possible. He had a vague idea where the farm was located but still made sure to stay away from roads and open spaces, lest someone see a red blur along the street.

When it became clear that he was running on owned land, especially farmers land, Wally watched out to run alongside it, rather than across. Crop circles were one thing but a rather distinctive line through an entire field was another.

He skirted along the edges of the fields, searching for road signs or name signs or farm names. Wally was sure that he was in the right area, that they must live somewhere around here. If they hadn't moved away.

Though after the third, wrong name on a fence, he became rather discouraged.

The area was wide and he still had a few farms to check out but being in the open like this made him anxious. There were barely any trees to conceal him from the open sky and the chance of seeing him run around was growing with each passing moment. If only he were allowed to use a different level of speed besides the one below the sound barrier, then he could be practically invisible to those not knowing what to look for.

It was one of those moments where he cursed his suit as well. Bright red was like a neon sign screaming _here, here I am!._

At the fifth sign Wally resigned himself to get back to Bruce. There was no point in endangering them both by staying apart when he could just start getting Bruce to different places where they could hide. Ignoring the fact that they needed food and a place for Bruce to recuperate.

With a sigh he glanced at the sign before him and stepped away, shaking his head. And then he froze. Hurriedly he looked back at it, touched it even, as he read the name _Kent_ on it. This was it. He found them.

Looking over the sign, Wally looked ahead of the road towards the house at the end of it, quite a distance away, judging by the way it looked so small. He could detect no movement in between himself and the house, but there was a lazy cloud of dust, or something of the like, whirling around a bit to the left to the house. Slightly behind it.

Steeling himself by straightening his back, Wally started to walk along the road in what was considered normal speed. Until his nerves got the better him and he zipped up to the house, close to a tree near a fence there, watching the machine make its way over the field.

He had really made it this far and now...now he felt rather apprehensive about it. How to approach the Kent's? He didn't want to show up and act as if nothing was up. Heck, his suit alone screamed _problem _and _danger _and many other various things in this dimension. There was still the hope, the very need for them to be the nice people he had met in his dimension, though doubts filled his mind now.

They were good people and he was about to bring problems with him because he couldn't deal with them by himself. Maybe they'd resent him for what the other him had done. Or not done. This other Wally had died and things had gotten bad. Very bad. They would be within their rights to hate this Wally for leaving them in this world and here he was with the same face, same hair, asking for help.

Well, he planned to ask for help, if he could find the courage to actually do so. However there wasn't much of a choice. He would be able to go away again if he were alone, but he wasn't. Bruce was with him and Bruce needed help that went beyond what Wally was capable of.

His plan A, if he were to label it, had worked out fine. He had found the Kent's. Now he needed plan A point two: How to approach them.

The best way would be to just go up there and say hi, wouldn't it? Nothing would get accomplished by staring out at the field, so he would walk up there, with normal speed lest he scared the other, and-

"Are you truly back?" A voice from behind him called out, quiet but stern. "Or are you here to haunt us?"

Wally slowly turned, one hand on the tree beside him as he looked at Mrs. Kent. She stood on the porch, her arms resting on the rail while she stared at him. Her hair was grayer than what he remembered from his version of her, thought that could entirely be this dimension's timeline. They did seem to be slightly ahead of them.

There was something defensive in her eyes but...Wally imagined he could also see a certain hope in them. He was loath to crush it.

He swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly dry now that any plan of approaching Mr. Kent out in the field went out the window.

"I'm...no. Sorry, I'm not."

Mrs. Kent tilted her head slightly to the side. "About which of my questions?"

"Both of them. I'm not...it might sound crazy but I'm not from here. I'm...another…"

"Ah," she provided with a nod, though he doubted she truly understood. "I've seen my fair share of crazy around here." There was a small smile on her face and Wally found that some of the tension in his back bled away. It might be a mistake, relaxing already, but Wally was confident in his speed.

If this was a trap that was already putting the sling around his neck? He'd just go before the sling closed.

"Yes," Wally nodded, giving a small, anxious smile himself. "I'll take that at face value."

"I suppose you have to." For a moment she looked away from him and out to where her husband was tending to the field. "You say you're another but you're like him, aren't you? You're fast...

There is a reason for your appearance, isn't there?"

"There is. Will you hear me out? I can wait for Mr. Kent to join us?" In case she felt uneasy with him alone. Or with what he could and would provide on information.

She seemed to mull over that thought before shaking her head. "No. I'd rather you start and we go from there."

He inclined his head and placed himself so that he could lean with his back against the tree. Mrs. Kent hadn't invited him to come closer and he figured a relaxed form would put her even more at ease. Not that she seemed tense. She seemed perfectly at home (_duh) _with standing there and looking at him.

"I come from another dimension," Wally began, theorizing that it was best to start with the biggest thing. "It's exactly the same where I come from, except that I'm not dead. And we're still the Justice League." And they were going to stay the Justice League. He could already picture the meeting they'd have after making it back. All of them sitting together and swearing that it would never come to that. And that would be the point where the others would start babying him, just to be safe.

_Right_.

"The Lords, well Lord Batman I guess, made this portal that could cross over to our dimension and they..lured us here under the pretense of needing our help. Though..long story short, we dealt with the Lords and put Lord Batman back on the ah..I suppose the _good _path and meant to go home."

"Only that you're here," she provided with a hand gesture, since it was obvious.

"Yes. Only that I'm here. And...I need help. I figured...I hope, that is to say...well...I don't want to impose but…" Wally floundered, trying to find the words but not finding the ones he wanted to say. Not without immediately assuming things about her and her husband and this place. Mrs. Kent remained silent as he searched for the words. "Well...obviously I need a plan to get back but first I need to hide and I can't do that in random places because..._because_," he left it at that for now. "I wondered if I could be safe here...and...well…"

Still, she just stared at him, hardly an expression on her face. In some way she reminded him of Aunt Iris back when she waited for Wally to finish whatever bullshit explanation he had for whatever stunt he had pulled. Only to then gauge the honesty behind it to deal out the proper punishment. "You said you dealt with the Lords, safe for Lord Batman. Is he acting alone now?"

"Ah...no...no, Lord Batman and Lord Superman are chasing me, which was why I'm here to be honest. I wanted to...well...depending on your stance on all of this… I thought I could hide here." Almost like a nervous tick, Wally tapped his fingers against his biceps, having crossed them in his agitation and nervousness. If the fast movement bothered her, then she didn't show it.

"Our...stance?"

"Yes," Wally immediately nodded. Her stance. "As in...if you...side with the Lords I guess. Because if so then I'm out of here." He said honestly, pointing his thumb over his shoulder to make it even more clear.

Mrs. Kent opened her mouth to answer but both their attention got pulled to the side as Mr. Kent jogged up to them after climbing over the fence. "Martha," he said in a tone that clearly asked if she was in danger or not. He stared at Wally as he passed him by, hastily, but his face hardly betrayed anything, safe for the hardened expression on it as he went to stand before the pouch.

"Everything's fine," Mrs. Kent assured her husband and put a hand on his shoulder, now that he was so close. "This young man here needs our help and was just explaining things." Which clearly meant she would later tell Mr. Kent the things he had missed out on. That seemed to appease him, even though the tension in his body stayed.

"To answer your question," she turned back to Wally with a nod. "Clark isn't welcome here at the moment."

Which is...which wasn't _great _because it meant pain for them and probably Lord Superman as well but it was exactly what he wanted to hear. Though he didn't dare to comment on it and resorted to look at her with a hopefully expression.

"You may come inside and we will see what we can do to help," she nodded and looked at her husband who was already moving to the front of the house to get up to her on the porch.

Feeling a bit more settled in his idea but still weary, Wally pushed himself away from the tree and walked towards the porch as well. This was going to be it, once inside he'd have a better grasp on the situation. If they were truly just them or some kind of agents of the Lord's. Though Mrs. Kent had seemed genuine enough, especially the underlying bitterness and hurt when she told him that Lord Superman wasn't allowed here.

He wondered how that worked out. Lord Superman acted like such an ass, he could hardly imagine that guy following the simple instruction of _stay away_ if he didn't want to. In the end there was nothing that would stop him.

_Maybe he still has a heart, _Wally wondered as he watched the Kent's make their way inside, _maybe Lord Superman can't stand to see their disappointment. _

Hesitating for a whole second, Wally followed them inside, closed the door behind him and took his cowl off. There was instant relief at having some air in his hair and he put a hand through it. His gloves slightly tore at lone strands but ultimately put a little bit of order into the chaos. At least he hoped so since there wasn't a mirror where he was standing.

Mrs. Kent had moved to what seemed to be the kitchen while Mr. Kent stuck behind to guide Wally there, though Wally stayed behind the man. If this was a trap then he wouldn't walk _that _readily into it, no matter how fast he could be.

Once there they offered him a seat and he took it, his back to the doorway that led back to the door with the both of them in front of him. Mr. Kent sat down as well, on the other side of the table, while Mrs. Kent busied herself with a teakettle.

"Tea?" She asked and nodded once she saw Wally agreeing with a nod himself.

A strange silence came over them, the atmosphere not thick but…different. It was clear that neither party really knew what to do, now that Wally was inside the house. Until Mrs. Kent seemed to take the lead.

"You said you want to hide here? And then?" She stayed near the teakettle.

Wally watched how she placed her hands on the edge of the counter and then leaned against it. Casual. Relaxed. He hated being this distrusting that he watched someone's every move. It just wasn't his nature. That was Bruce's strength, doubting everyone and everything. But he had no other choice. If he went blindly into this and brought Bruce, then there would be no telling what was going to happen. Whatever the Lords had planned for them, he was sure they wouldn't fall for something so quickly again as Lord Batman had done when Wally had sped his heartbeat up. No. Knowing Batman, and thus Lord Batman, there would be _precautions_ now.

"And then...I'm not a hundred percent sure yet. I have to get to the Batcave and open the portal again, which I imagine is an impossible task by now." Neither Bruce nor his own powers would be of any help, since Lord Batman would be aware of their attempts now. Or at least anticipate them and have contingency plans aplenty already. "I'm sure I can figure something out, I just...I need somewhere to stay and...and I promise to help out!" Wally suddenly offered. He hadn't had considered it before but not only would he put a strain on their resources but Wally would also get bored. Helping out would be easy and he wouldn't feel as bad as he felt now.

Mr. Kent's eyebrows went up at the offer and Wally took it as ...casual interest.

"Like...I don't know much about farm work but I'm a fast learner," he smiled somewhat and hoped it didn't look too bitter. "And once I have learned something, I'm not too bad at it." As long as he didn't stop doing it and slowly forgot mayor points of whatever he learned. Farming wouldn't be too bad in the end and if he did it at non-speedster speed he might just busy himself long enough for time to pass faster. Maybe. Hopefully.

The water in kettle started to cook, the high-pitched noise of the steam drawing everyone's attention. Maybe all of them were a little...tense.

Mrs. Kent placed three cups on the table, the tea in the cups and poured the hot water into them. Wally watched every movement, just to make sure that nothing would be put into any of the cups. Especially not the one he would get.

Sure, she could have put something in the kettle but it would be easy for him to let the other two drink first.

"Sugar?" She offered and placed a tiny porcelain cup on the table as well and offered him his cup.

Wally inclined his head and took it with a small thank you. The sugar was tempting but he'd wait and see if one of them took some. To his relief Mrs. Kent actually put a bit into hers, so he was pretty confident that the sugar was safe as well. He actually wanted to believe it with every cell in his body. Which was why he dumped a few spoons into his tea.

Thankfully neither of them commented on it.

"Not the best of plans," Mr. Kent suddenly spoke up while he glanced into his own cup. "But going against..._them_ can't be easy any other day."

Nodding again, Wally wasn't sure how to respond to that. Did Mr. Kent want a better plan? Because he could try to come up with one, though he doubted that it was any better than 'storm in and try his best'.

There was something he wanted to clear up beforehand anyway.

"I'm sorry to ask this, I wish I didn't have to but...uhm...why does...well...how do you make Lord Superman stay away?"

Husband and wife shared a look and Wally truly did feel bad about asking but he had to know nonetheless. So far everything had checked out _fine_ but the threat of Lord Superman showing up was ever present and in the end nothing would keep that guy away.

There was a sigh and a steeled expression before Mrs. Kent took over the conversation. "When it all started, after your...after _his _death Clark came to us. And I must admit that for the first time since we had him that I felt..uneasy in his presence. Whatever broke in him, whatever changed, that day the Clark we knew was lost to us."

"But he still seeked us out," Mr. Kent continued. "He came to us for...guidance, I believe, but we couldn't offer what he was looking for. I think what he wanted to hear was that he did the right thing, that he had done what had to be done."

Mrs. Kent nodded and stirred her tea while removing the teabag. "He grew angry at first, though he wouldn't dare to hurt us in any way. Please don't think that. And we tried to talk to him but he wouldn't listen. That went on for a few weeks before we told him...we _told _him." She didn't finish the sentence and left it at that. Whatever they told him…it must have been enough to keep him away. "He doesn't come here now, not anymore. He respects our wishes."

The kitchen became silent once more as both of them clearly remembered their dear boy while Wally tried to take it all in. What kept Lord Superman away was his love for his parents, at least that was what he had gathered from it. They had a fall out, and it really didn't matter what had been said, and had sent him away. And Lord Superman respected that.

Despite the obvious pain of the pair before him Wally hoped that it would stay like this. As long as it took to sort all of this out and yet...he wished he could offer them to talk to Lord Superman. To somehow make right what had gone wrong because of another him.

The possibility that they might just blame him was still there after all but Wally wasn't confident enough to ask about it. Instead he removed his own teabag and stirred his tea, having to do something with his hands.

He would decide if he could believe them after he tasted the tea, Wally told himself. If nothing happened after ingesting some of it then it must be safe here. If there was some tech around that Lord Batman used to monitor them then...then it would already be too late. Though Lord Superman surely would have shown up by now. The two Lords had seemed rather eager in their attack.

Taking a sip to see how hot the tea was (it was rather hot) Wally drank half of it in a relaxed manner before placing the cup down again. His stomach churned and he could feel the sugar entering his system and being used up just as fast. Rarely he felt his bodily functions that clearly and it was just testament to how badly he needed some food. Who knew how bad he would be off without Bats' genius nutrient tablet?

But he lived. He didn't feel woozy due to some weird poison or anesthetic. Maybe he had chosen well with these two.

"There is...someone else," he began and drew their attention back to him, neither of them had spoken up until now. "He's injured and he has a fever that I can't deal with."

"One of your friends, from your League?" Mrs. Kent asked kindly as she put her hands around her cup, most likely drawing some warmth from it. "Who is it?"

"Batman. Bruce?" Wally offered with a small smile, hoping that they wouldn't mind too much. Then again, he was sort of glad that it wasn't Supes. He couldn't imagine the pain they'd inflict if he and Clark would have shown up. Though the idea alone is silly. With Clark they either wouldn't be in this situation (only in a mayor fight in the Batcave) or wouldn't have seeked out the Kent's. There was only so much stupidity Wally could act on after all and he had meant what he had said back under the tree. That he wouldn't bring a son back just to take him away again. "He's really...not well right now."

Mrs. Kent shared another look with her husband, who nodded at her, and she turned back to him. "What are you still doing here then?" Her smile, despite their heavy topic and what him being there implied, was kind and encouraging as she stood up.

Slightly confused but also eager to finally get Bruce, Wally followed suit.

"Go get him then. We'll prepare the room upstairs," she continued and looked him over. "The clothes we have might be a bit big for you but I guess it will have to do for now. We can sort the rest out after that."

"Will you take long?" Mr. Kent butted in but remained sitting, intend on finishing his tea.

Wally shook his head and downed his tea before gently placing the cup down and putting his cowl back up. "Not at all. I'd say a few minutes. It depends on how well he is and what route I'll have to take." If Bruce wasn't awake he'd have more problems than one. Most of all how to lift the other up. He offered both of them a small smile and Mrs. Kent nodded at him, shooing him off with one hand.

He did as implied and rushed out of the house, mindful of their floor and door and property in general. He did however make a small turn and stay closer to the house for a full minute, trying to see if they were preparing something, though his point of view t wasn't the greatest. There were silhouettes moving around, though it didn't look like they were rushing around. If they did intend to lay a trap for Wally and Bruce, then they did a poor job of estimating a speedster's speed.

Another point for them then.

Gratified, he turned and actually left the farm but avoided backtracking the exact same path. Instead he went on as if he were still looking to find the farm and went around Earth, back to Gotham and the forest.

During that run Wally mused about the fact that he rarely had to restrain himself so much when it came to his speed. It reminded him of his days in school were the hours dragged on and on and all he could do was move along with the masses lest he gave away his secret. Those had been really long days sometimes.

He slowed down when he was close enough to their hideout, opting to walk the rest of the distance to make sure his surroundings were safe. The closer he got to the tree the more he could feel anxiety in his throat and he was reminded _yet again_ of his heart rate. Damn speed. Damn Lord Superman. Who even thought of that kinda thing to track someone with?

Wally stopped a few meters away from the tree and looked around but didn't find anything suspicious or noteworthy. "Batman," he whispered loud enough to warn the other that he was close by and closed the rest of the space between them. Carefully and with one ear out for any kind of noise from behind him he removed the branches and peered inside. Despite the now rather bright daylight, safe for a few clouds out and about, all that met him was the dark hollow and an even darker thing lying in it. "Batman," Wally hissed more than he whispered and looked over his shoulder once more. "I'm back. I talked to them and they're going to help us," he explained and moved his head further into the little hideout.

Still no reaction.

Worry and trepidation nagged at his mind and he decided to crawl underneath the tree to see what was taking Bruce so long.

His eyes took no time at all to get used to the darkness and he could make out the other still sitting how he had left him, now that everything didn't look like black on black.

"Bruce?" he tried again and moved up to the other, carefully placing a hand on Bruce's shoulder before putting the back of his hand against the cheek instead. The fever must have gotten worse.

Heart pounding in his throat (_slowslowkeepitslowhe'sfine), _Wally gently shook the other by the shoulder, just a little.

All he got was a low groan as Bruce's head slowly turned to him, eyes slightly opening. There was nothing Wally could see through the white lenses that would give him any kind of information about Bruce's current consciousness. Was Bruce with him? Or was he in some kind of fever delirium and barely there?

Wally let his hand rest on Bruce's shoulder, giving it a squeeze before leaning his head in to get a better look, not that it helped much thanks to the cowl. "Are you awake?"

Bruce gave him a nod and a hum and placed a hand of his own on Wally's shoulder. He seemed to struggle with it but still managed and Wally wondered about the gesture. Bruce wasn't a touchy-feely person as far as he was aware. The fever must be getting to him.

"Good. I've talked to _them_. They'll help us," he echoed his earlier words once more and gave Bruce the time to process that as the other seemed to struggle with it. That was _definitely _the fever.

"Do you trust them then?" Bruce finally asked in a low voice, although his breath sounded heavy. As if his chest felt too tight.

"I want to," Wally began, still feeling conflicted about what he felt like and what he thought was correct. "But-"

"You don't? Why?"

"Don't get me wrong, they seem really nice and they didn't act suspicious at all but...I'm afraid. That it's still the wrong choice." Because he only had this one shot and if this blew up then it was _on him_. If one of them got hurt because he judged the Kent's wrong then he was at fault and they would be stuck there as prisoners or worse yet, dead.

"And someone has to do the distrusting," he added as an afterthought and a grim smile, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. "Now come, let's get out of here. Once we're there you can rest." When Bruce didn't reply to his worries or command Wally took the initiative and gently helped Bruce to pitch forward on all fours so that he could crawl out. There was barely a hint of an incline, just a simple step to pull yourself up and out of the hole underneath the tree but it still seemed to use up whatever energy Bruce had saved up.

Wally got out first and looked around again (God, being so paranoid was exhausting) only to turn back and help Bruce out from their hideout. He took hold of the other's arm and more or less dragged him out before crouching beside him and heaving him onto his feet, all the while gritting his teeth. "Man, you really weight _a lot."_

"Nhh," was his only reply as Bruce found his feet and seemed to be as steady as he could get with the way he was dangerously swaying. Which was why Wally didn't waste any time and position himself so that he could pick Bruce up.

Only this one physical act. Then he was done. Then Bruce would get help and maybe they could rest (who was he kidding, with Bruce out of the commission he'd have to be even more vigilant) and be done with the day already. And it was barely after midday if the sun was any indication.

"Alright, hold on tight," he warned Bruce and lifted him up in a way that wasn't really bridal style but wasn't really potato-sack-over-the-shoulder either. It was a weird in between, what with Bruce not being able to support his own weight a bit more and helping Wally out with his limbs. As promised, he moved immediately and made his way back, choosing yet another route that had the form of a half-moon rather than a straight line.

There was still no Lord Superman in sight, despite having suspected to see that guy once in a while. Scouting the land and sea and whatever else there was to scout with his superpowers. Though if luck really was on their side in that case, then he wouldn't look a gifted horse into its mouth. He'd just take it, thank you.

When he reached the farm, Wally didn't stop at the edge of it, instead he immediately moved to the house and managed to come to a slow jog before stopping in front of the porch. There he more or less let Bruce fall on his feet and kept him upright by keeping Bruce's arm over his own shoulder. His own breath was coming out more ragged after that kind of thing on a rather empty stomach and sleepless night.

It took him a good minute to guide Bruce up the small stairs of the porch and towards the door. By that time Mr. Kent suddenly appeared and opened the door before moving to Bruce's other side and supporting him as well. Suddenly it was easier to get inside and Wally let Mr. Kent guide them up a set of stairs (_way_ easier with another to help) and towards a room. Inside of it was a single bed against the wall, even with fresh sheets. Wally almost felt bad for getting it already dirty, since they had lied underneath a tree an entire night.

They made sure to be as slow and gentle as they could, to not jostle Bruce too much, as they guided him onto it. Wally even went so far and lifted Bruce's legs up on the bed.

"Thank you," he huffed to Mr. Kent and took a moment to compose himself. This time he didn't really hesitate to take his own cowl off before going to Bruce's side and inspecting the wound and then going up to the face. "Bats, I need to remove the cowl, okay?" He asked while he could hear Mr. Kent moving out of the room and calling out to his wife.

Despite the fever, Bruce managed to put on a rather displeased reaction before tilting his head towards Wally and allowing him to do just that.

Wally couldn't help the gently smile as he took in the more than usual disheveled hair sticking out in all directions. It suited Bruce, oddly enough. However the smile fell away when he took in Bruce's glassy expression and flushed skin. "It's alright now, I'll keep watch. Okay?" He murmured when he could hear someone come in again and without waiting for a reply turned to see Mrs. Kent walk in with a bowl and towel in hand.

He watched as she put the bowl on the bed stand. After that she checked Bruce's temperature herself, nodding at Wally to confirm it.

"He should drink some water as well, I can bring something up in a second," Mrs. Kent promised while she gently washed Bruce's face with the wetted towel before she put it on his forehead. "We also have some ibuprofen that he can take."

"Thank you," Wally sighed and watched Bruce's eyes drift close, though the tension remained. He wasn't fooled, the other would remain awake for as long as possible and listen to them. "He got injured yesterday and we had to cauterize the wound. It was the only thing we could have done," he briefly explained and pointed to the place where the skin looked angry and red, peeking out from the suit.

Mrs. Kent leaned over Bruce and very lightly put the back of her hand on it. "It's difficult to tell how bad it is underneath and neither of us is a doctor," she said. "But I can look for any medicine that could help with infection, considering that might be the cause of the fever?"

Wally nodded and glanced back at Bruce's face and then back at hers. So far she seemed to have come the same conclusion he had drawn because if infection hadn't caused the fever what then? Maybe it was some form of shock but even if it was that...what could Wally do? All he could do was to make Bruce as comfortable as possible and give him some kind of medicine that _might_ help.

"Alright," she suddenly said and moved away from the bed. "I'll get that water and look what else I can find beside the ibuprofen. I'll be right back." With that she left the room and let the door swing close somewhat without actually closing it.

Either a trap was now closing in on them or she was nice enough to give them some space.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he felt a warm hand on his arm, holding on to it. "Bruce?"

"So far, they seem believable," Bruce murmured and didn't let go of him.

Relaxing somewhat, Wally gave Bruce a tight smile and put his free hand over the other's, effectively patting it. "Any other day I'd take your word for it but your fever is high and I'm not sure you're as perceptive as you usually are."

All he received was a scoff and a somewhat friendly squeeze of his arm until the hand went away to rest at Bruce's side once more.

"I'll drink the water first," Wally said then with a low voice while placing his own hand on Bruce's shoulder. It was strange to be so...touching with the Batman all the time but Wally wouldn't complain. It was good to know the other was there and even better to confirm it all the time. As if he might just wake up back in Lord Batman's cell and discover it all to be a stupid dream (though at least Bruce wouldn't be hurt then). "I'm not sure if I should test the medicine before you take it…" Technically, his body should be able to handle a small tablet but seeing how he rarely took something, Wally wasn't sure if he could differentiate between a drug or a common medicine against something. Depending on how strong it was and if he even felt something.

Again he only got a scoff and a weak version of Bruce shaking his head, which caused the wet towel to slip off and left Wally to rearrange it.

Nothing else was said until Mrs. Kent came back with a tablet. On it was an empty glass, a pitcher full with water and three boxes of medicine that she placed on the writing desk standing against the wall. She immediately filled the glass with water. "I found the ibuprofen and something that seems to be as close as we can get to antibiotics without getting it from the pharmacy." She handed Wally the glass and turned back to the boxes of medicine to read over the ingredients and uses again.

In the meantime Wally quickly took a sip of the glass and gently nudged Bruce's enough to make the other open his eyes to show him the glass of water. When nothing happened, he helped Bruce get up on one elbow and held him the glass to drink from it. He was glad to note that Bruce didn't seem to be too weak and able to support himself to a certain degree. They _had _made it into the house on both their feet after all. Maybe Bruce just needed to sleep this off in a nice bed and a roof over his head and be good as rain in two or three days.

That done, Wally put the glass on the bed stand and let Bruce lie down again while he turned to Mrs. Kent. She offered him two of the three boxes, clearly having decided on which one to give Bruce.

"One of each for now, we will see how he takes to it," she explained with a nod and went to the door again. "If you need anything we will be downstairs. The bathroom is two doors to the left. There are also clothes in the drawer there," she pointed to the dresser in the room. "Feel free to take anything you need. We already had lunch but I can make you something if you want?"

"Maybe something light for him?" Wally mused while he put a hand through his hair. A shower sounded fabulous, only that he didn't want to leave Bruce alone for too long. Even if he utilized his speed. Maybe in a few hours when everything had settled. "I will eat whatever you offer to be honest." Best to come clear with that since he didn't know how much the Kent's knew about Speedsters.

She smiled gently at him, seemingly not bothered by any of this. She had been more tense the first time Wally had been around. "I will make a soup for him, I'm sure you can finish the rest once he's done. It won't be too long," she promised and then left again, leaving the door only slightly ajar like before.

Standing in the room with two boxes of medicine in his hand, Wally read over the leaflets himself and looked at the packaging as critical as possible to deem it legit. It seemed legit. At least to his eyes. Sighing, he turned back to Bruce. "Here, these should help you." He put one of each of them into his hand and gave them to the other who just swallowed them _like that_.

Wally made a face. "Yuck, how can you do that without water?"

"Practice," came the dry reply to which Wally had to roll his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

After Bruce had swallowed the medication Wally felt satisfied that _something _was helping Bruce with the fever right now. Which meant he had a bit of time to properly take in the room they were in. The bed was big enough for a man of Bruce's stature, though there wasn't much space left on it. Like Mrs. Kent had pointed out there was a drawer and the writing desk with the pitcher on it. There was also another door and after a brief inspection, Wally was satisfied to note that it was just a closet with more clothes in it. The air in it smelled slightly old and the clothes themselves had that particular smell to it as well.

These were probably Lord Superman's clothes then. Or just spare ones that haven't been removed yet. Apart from that the room had a nice carpet, a chair for the writing desk which Wally moved over to the bed. It seemed more like a hotel room than a lived in one. Wally wagered, without knowing how many bedrooms there where, that this was either a guest room or Lord Superman's. Not that it would change anything about their situation if it was the jerks one. That guy certainly didn't need it right now.

Glad to have the problem of having to find a hiding place out of the way, Wally sat down on the chair and sighed exhausted. His body wasn't prone to show signs of any kind of exhaustion, except for really long runs, but he had been awake for quite some time already without any kind of food. It was bound to catch up to him. His muscles ached slightly, kind of like when he ran for a very, very long time. Though he suspected it was more due to carrying Bruce around more than anything. Maybe he should hit the gym after everything was over once in a while.

Or maybe he would just fall into his bed after this was over and try to forget all of it.

For a second he let his eyes fall closed as he leaned back into the chair. The temptation to put his feet up on the bed was rather strong but he suspected that he might just dose of if he did that.

"You should get some rest." Bruce's voice disturbed the silence of the room.

Opening his eyes again, Wally gave Bruce one of his easier smiles. "Look who's talking."

"You're tired Wally."

"Yeah, so are you. I can handle it a bit longer."

"Wally-"

"I'll nap in a bit. Promise. Okay?" He would but he didn't know when. The back of his head was still tingling as if something could jump out at them any second and he still couldn't tell if it was an elevated distrust because Bruce couldn't be distrusting or if it was something that was actually there. There was no way that he could actually sleep in that moment.

Bruce grunted and Wally wondered when the other had perfected word-less replies like that. It was infatuating.

He watched as Bruce relaxed more and more, probably due to the medicine, and thought the other had drifted off after a whole minute of this. Only for Bruce to talk again, with his eyes closed.

"Do I really weight too much?"

Confused, Wally blinked a few times. What kinda question was _that_? Until it hit him. This time it was him who offered no words and only groaned at first. "Really? That's bothering you? You're a mountain of muscles Bruce, of course you're heavy as hell. And it's _fine._ I was just joking."

Bruce's eyes opened slightly, as if he didn't believe Wally, and Wally lifted both his eyebrows in a silent demand to challenge him on this. As if Wally could complain about Bruce's muscles. All he had complained about was that he had to carry it around, which was something different altogether.

Most of the time he only had to look at them and those times were _fine_, if anyone were to ask him. Not that anyone ever did and for that he was grateful, it would be rather embarrassing.

Bruce slowly shook his head and let his eyes fall close again with Wally sitting there in the chair. It wasn't too long until his breath evened out and Wally could let any silly expression fall from his face, watching the other with a rather grim look.

What were they to do now? Besides wait that is. They literally had to wait for Bruce to get better before they could even attempt _anything_ and until then all he could hope for was that he didn't bother the Kent's too much. And that Lord Superman didn't randomly show up here.

He hoped for quite the opposite. That Lord Superman would avoid this place due to the emotional attachment, since that guy was so great with it, seeing how he had handled Wally's presence and all that.

He wondered what the Lords' game was this time. Lord Batman _had _worked with them to detain the other Lords, so why was it that Lord Superman had been in the Batcave? Had Lord Superman freed himself? Not that Lord Batman had been any help, what with turning the portal down. Had he been blackmailed? Maybe. But then he expected the Lord to somehow contact them and help them in the end and so far that hadn't happened. Were they really _that _good with hiding?

Wally took in Bruce's relaxed face and was glad to have one Batman on his side, since that was probably the only reason why they had made it this far. Sure, Wally would have hidden in a predictable way, if what Bruce had said was true, but then again...on his own, Wally was pretty fast. He was sure he could have evaded the Lords' for quite some time on his own.

Or...or alone, he might have had some kind of leverage over Lord Batman. He didn't feel particularly happy about that thought, the very idea sat heavily in his mind but if it meant getting home...maybe he should plan ahead with that idea.

With a low groan, Wally leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs, rubbing his face tiredly. This was so not his type of fight. This hiding and staying put and being hunted by a force he couldn't really go up against. And with someone injured in the team as well. If only the others were here as well, then everything would look way more different than what they had now. Superman or Wonder Woman alone would help, since either of them could take on Lord Superman. The rest would be easy after that.

Those _what_ _if_ scenarios were driving him up the wall. He longed for some sleep and food and a shower, maybe not in that order but any of it would be welcome. But he didn't dare to leave Bruce's side just yet. The house itself felt safe and the Kent's as nice as they were back home but he just...he didn't want to let his guard down so soon. Even with Bruce's assurance that everything seemed fine. What did a guy know when he had a fever that left his legs weak?

Wally for sure wouldn't know, he couldn't even remember the last time he had had a fever.

Rubbing his face some more, he sat up straight again and stretched his upper body to get his blood pumping to battle the exhaustion.

He wasn't even sure where he should sleep if he dared to. The bed Bruce was lying on didn't leave much space and he felt it was rather indecent to crawl into the bed with the other while there was no way to give consent to that. Even if it was only about cuddling up to sleep in a bed. There also didn't seem to be one of those spare, foldable beds or blow up mattresses. He might just have to ask Mrs. Kent about another set of pillows and sheets. At least that way he could sleep on the floor with more than just his suit.

Well, there was more clothing around than just his suit. If worst came to worst (which he didn't believe it would, because people like the Kent's had oodles of blankets around as far as he was aware) he could always wear a big sweater over some shirt to stay partly comfortable.

Which made him aware of the dresser near the door. Standing up, because sitting down only made him want to close his eyes for a bit, Wally walked up to it and inspected the first drawer.

Emptiness greeted him.

"Amazing," he murmured to himself and rolled his eyes as he closed the drawer and went for the second one. Now there was at least something in there. The clothes were neatly folded and seemed fresher than the stuff in the closet, so Mrs. Kent must have gotten them from somewhere else.

Curiously, he pulled out a few articles and let them unfold due to gravity so that he could inspect them further. There seemed to be a few shirts, all of the same size which thankfully seemed to be able to fit Bruce, once the other had enough energy to change. Though that also meant that they would be rather big for himself, not that he minded. As long as his shoulders could keep the shirts where they needed to be he was fine with it.

Beside that there were two pair of jeans, which would be impossible to fit him unless he had a belt, and sweatpants. Only one pair. Oh joy. He'd leave that one for Bruce. No one who was sick or lying down should be subjected to wear jeans. That would just be too cruel. Wally also found two sweaters of the boring grey variety which suited him just fine. They looked cozy enough to sleep in, exactly what he had been looking for. For when he actually was going to sleep.

Dutifully he put everything back into the drawer, only that he couldn't fold them as neatly as they had been before. He had never been too great at that and mostly resorted to throw his clothes into his closet. It worked well enough to open it and rummage through everything.

To his surprise there were also a few boxer shorts in there and Wally stared at them as if he had never seen something like that before. It was nice to know that they didn't need to go commando or keep wearing their underwear for longer periods of time but...it was also weird to wear someone else's boxers. But needs must. Or something along that line to make it less weird.

Wally closed the drawer again and trailed his hand over the wood, following the carved in lines with his fingertips while he didn't really stare at it. He was more focused on the faint smell of soup wafting into the room, making his stomach growl quite loudly and his face heat up with embarrassment.

Quickly he glanced over his shoulder to see if Bruce had heard but the other was still blissfully out, head turned to the side which had caused the towel to slip off.

Wally stepped away from the dresser and took the towel to dip it into the bowl with water again. After wringing it out he put it on Bruce's forehead, as well as he was able to without moving the other's head. There was no sigh or movement of relief, not like how they did in the movies and TV shows. Bruce just slept on and Wally was fine with that. Any type of rest that Bruce could get meant that he was going to get better. He _had _to get better because Wally wouldn't leave without him.

He might as well just give himself up to the Lords' if Bruce wouldn't make it.

He pulled himself out of his suddenly dark thoughts and put his hands over his face, deeply breathing in and out. Maybe holding off on sleep wasn't such a good idea. His thoughts just seemed to turn more desperate that way. Much like the previous night where he had nothing to do than stare into the darkness.

Did it make him a coward that he wished for Bruce to be perfectly fine and take the lead in this? Bruce certainly wouldn't answer him if he were to ask know.

One of his hands went through his hair as he turned away and walked to the door. There he peered outside and listened for any movement but could only hear Mrs. Kent down in the kitchen. She seemed to be alone and still making that soup, if the smell was anything to go by. He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him as he moved to the next one.

No time like the present to look around for a bit, just to make sure that no room of death was behind one of these.

He put his hand on the handle and tried to turn it as carefully as possible, though he didn't need to have bothered, seeing that the door seemed to be locked. Maybe _that_ was Lord Superman's room? It seemed logical to him. Satisfied for now, Wally moved to the next and just like Mrs. Kent had told him there was the bathroom. It looked and smelled clean and homely with one of those bathroom carpets in the middle of it to keep your feet protected from the cold tiles.

Maybe a shower wouldn't be so bad after all...

Closing the door again, Wally glanced back at the one where Bruce was, as if someone could have had sneaked into said room while he had stood in the doorway.

Glad to find that nothing had changed, Wally opted to check out the door across from the locked room. Behind that one was a homely bedroom with sun hitting the bed. This must be the Kent's room then. Hasty he closed the door again, feeling bad for snooping into their private life like that after all they had done so far.

Was it really okay to trust them a bit more? His very being said yes but the fear of losing Bruce to an error that he could avoid by being distrusting was bigger than that.

He would just have to give it more time. Or simply wait for Bruce to get better and let him be the judge. Then again...if they made it that far, if Bruce was here long enough to get better without anything happening, then wasn't that answer enough?

There was no other door on this floor, if one didn't count the one in the ceiling that went up to the attic and so far he hadn't heard anything suspicious from up there. No matter how new an attic was, someone sneaking around in one was difficult to overhear. At least Wally liked believed so.

Since there was nothing else to explore and his currently paranoid side urging him back to Bruce's side, Wally walked back to the room and closed the door behind him.

Bruce was still sleeping, so Wally made sure that the towel was still wet enough before simply standing there. In his exhaustion he felt kind of restless as his body demanded for him to either lie down or do more than just stand there. He needed to do something that would keep him occupied or he might just jump out of his skin. Or drop where he stood. And neither option sounded favorable at the moment.

So, despite his current paranoia, Wally opted to actually take that shower that he had told himself not to take. He would just have to be fast about it and if he couldn't do that, then who could?

Walking back to the dresser, Wally got out one of the jeans, a shirt and one of the boxers, quickly closing it again before he thought better about the last article he had grabbed. There was also the issue of having no belt, unless…

The third drawer of the dresser hadn't been explored so far. Curious, he opened it and found a few random things placed in it. Much like how some kitchen drawers ended up with just the most random of items thrown into it for _safekeeping_.

But no belt.

Humming quietly to himself, he closed the drawer and thought about asking Mrs. Kent about it when he remembered the closet and its contents. He didn't recall if he had seen anything but hanging shirts but that didn't stop him from checking again. The already familiar stale air met him as he opened the closet, opting to make quick work of looking everything over. There were a few shirts, one sweater that smelled especially stale after he moved it from one side to the left and about two pair of jeans hanging there. However still no belt.

Discouraged, Wally stepped back and almost closed the door until he saw that there were a few boxes on the floor of the closet. He crouched down and looked the boxes over before opening the first. In there were only a few newspapers from a few years ago so he but the lid back on and looked into the next. And to his incredible luck there actually were a few belts rolled up in there.

Wally smiled to himself and looked two over before taking a slim, dark brown one. It would serve its purpose. The door to the closet was closed in no time at all. _Thank god._ The air in there was no fun to breathe in, _at all_.

With his hands full of fresh clothes and a belt, Wally turned and stared at Bruce. For a second there was uncertainty about his idea to leave the other but..he would only be gone for a few minutes. _Five at most_, he told himself.

He nodded about his internal decision and moved out of the room again, making sure to be extra quiet as to not disturb the other. Not that Bruce seemed to have a light sleep right now. So far no staring at him had awoken the Bat.

Smiling fondly about that, Wally quickly made his way to the bathroom and closed that door behind himself as well. He took a few seconds to see where everything stood and how to operate the shower while he wasn't already in there. It just wouldn't do to embarrass himself by screaming should he get hit with cold or hot water. He didn't take too long to figure it out and soon enough had divested himself of his suit and boots and made quick work to wash himself.

The hot water running over his aching muscles felt _amazing_. If Bruce wouldn't currently be out of the world of the living Wally might have given himself more than five minutes. Though it really was for the best to give himself a time limit. With the ache momentarily gone came a drowsiness instead, the lure of snuggling up into a warm bed after a hot shower, just as enticing as the shower itself.

As promised he stepped out of the shower after around four minutes, since drying himself would also take up a little bit of time. His body was dry after seconds, his hair lazily dripping here and there do he focused on getting dressed.

The pants, to exactly no one's surprise, were too big, though he had come prepared. After the shirt Wally made sure to look into the mirror above the sink, to see how overdressed he looked. In the sense of that the articles where just _overly big_ in any kind of sense.

Snorting at his own joke, a shame that no one was there to witness it, Wally took note that yes, he did look as if he was fourteen and had stolen some of Barry's clothes and put them on. But it would do for now.

He slipped the boots on again, since they were the only shoes around that could withstand his speed and he wasn't really willing to lose those, and picked up his suit to make his way back to Bruce. The smell of soup was even stronger now and Wally figured that it must be done soon enough.

Feeling slightly refreshed after the shower and after having overcome the drowsiness by simply moving around again, Wally put his suit on the chair he had pulled to the bed and left the room again. This time he heeded downstairs to the kitchen while looking around to see where Mr. Kent was but he couldn't spot him anywhere. Maybe he had went out on the field again?

He would have felt better, knowing where the man was, but he still moved into the kitchen. "Mrs. Kent?"

"Here," she called from the stove, stirring what seemed to be the soup. "And please, call me Martha."

"Ah..sure," Wally smiled somewhat. So far _Mrs. Kent _had worked out well for him. It felt weird to be so...personal. "I'm Wally," he provided as an afterthought. "Or Wallace, whatever you prefer." There was no way to know how much his presence reminded her of things that were. So maybe it was better to provide a name that people didn't use too often anyway. And Wallace certainly was that kinda name.

"Nice to meet you," Mrs. Kent - Martha, smiled at him. "The soup is about ready. How is he?"

"He's currently asleep so I suppose the soup will have to wait a little bit. If he doesn't wake up in a few hours I'll most likely force him to wake up and eat something." It sounded harsher than he intended it to be but she didn't seem to mind too badly as she just nodded and got out a bowl to put soup in anyway.

"Here, for you." With that the bowl was placed on the table.

Here he hesitated somewhat, not sure if he should actually stay down here while he didn't know where Mr. Kent was but...he might as well do conversation with her. "Thank you," he murmured and sat down.

There was steam wafting up into his face and his stomach growled loudly enough for both of them to hear and for Wally to get rather embarrassed about it. He ducked his head in a stupid attempt to hide his flush when a half loaf of bread was placed beside the bowl.

Confused he glanced from the bread to Martha who was sitting down with an amused expression on her face. "I do remember a few things from..before. I faintly recall hearing about your famous appetite."

Well, there was no use in hiding his rapid flushing but he was grateful nonetheless. And for once, any kind of danger from poison in the food drifted away in the face of his growling stomach. His stomach had always been stronger so far anyway, he figured he could take whatever they would throw at him.

But the soup and bread smelled absolutely amazing and he really didn't want them to be bad. He wanted them to be the nice married couple he knew them as from back home.

He murmured another 'thank you' and broke some of the bread away from the loaf and dipped it into the steaming hot soup. At least that way he could already eat some of it.

"Where did Mr. Kent go?" Now with some food lightening up his taste buds, he felt that he found the confidence to actually ask after some information.

"He's gone back outside, finishing today's work."

Wally nodded and told himself to offer to work on the field as soon as possible. As soon as he felt able to step away from Bruce further than this current distance. "I hope you don't mind me asking…," Wally began and she gestured for him to go on regardless of not knowing what it was. "But do people...I mean, are they mad at you? Because of…"

"Some," she honestly said and nodded as she turned her head to look out of the window. "Some think it's our fault for many reasons. For raising him. For not keeping him in check. But others see that Clark is his own person and that he made his own choices. No matter if good or bad. For so many years," Martha swallowed heavily but her face betrayed nothing. "He helped so many people, was there for so many years."

His arms rested beside the bowl, bread in one hand, as he listened.

"They tolerate us, here I mean. We wouldn't be able to stay if, say, the owner of the grocery store would resent us. Sure, we could always drive into the next town but that means spending more money on gas and what if they recognize us there too? No. We have it good here." She summarized as if he had questioned if they were well. Somehow, he kind of had. "We thought about moving for a while but this is our land and we come by quite well enough." Which sounded as if it could be better but it could also be worse.

Something Wally understood quite well. It was then that he decided that he was definitely going to offer his help. He had mentioned it before but wasn't sure if they were actually going to take him up on that. All was well, he would take care of that.

After he had rested a bit. And felt like leaving Bruce's side.

Worry rising again, Wally briefly tilted his head to the side as if he could look through the ceiling and see how he was doing. He turned back to Martha with a nod. "I'm...glad, that you have it well." It felt strange to even comment on it but he felt it was impolite to not really say anything and just nod along.

An odd silence took over and Wally focused on the soup again, not marginally cooler but cool enough for him to eat. Small burns always healed rapidly. The spoon clanged softly on the bowl a few times until he decides to finish his soup in one go. That combined with the bread filled his stomach a little bit, somewhat.

He placed the spoon in the bowl and stood up, ready to clean after himself only for it to be taken away from him.

"No need, but thank you. " Martha smiled at him, which made things a little bit better. Maybe he hadn't put his foot into his mouth too badly then, asking the things he did.

But he still had to ask more. Thankfully not too personal ones, this time.

"Do you happen to have another pillow and blanket? I think I'll camp out with Bruce until he's better."

Martha nodded as she out the bowl in the sink and left it there to turn back to him. "Of course, I'll get them for you. Sorry that we don't have a bigger bed to offer."

"It's fine, really. Wouldn't be the first time to sleep somewhere that isn't a bed," Wally joked. "At least your floor is way more comfortable than underneath a tree. And yes," he quickly added at her lifted eyebrows. "That was last night."

They shared a good chuckle before Wally briefly looked to where he knew the stairs were. "Do you think I should take some soup up now? Or let him sleep longer?"

She hummed thoughtfully. "Sleep is important to get better again but food even more so and if you're any kind of example then he's had more sleep than food. Take something up now." He didn't even have to say anything as a bowl along with some bread was ready for him to take up there. "It's still hot anyway so you don't have to worry too much if you can't get him to stay awake. Watch out, ," she warned about the heat once more as Wally moved to pick it up.

He nodded and simply scratched up the end of his shirt and used that as a means to safely hold the bowl, the spoon in it and the bread delicately lying on top of it. Martha eyed it with suspicion while Wally nodded and made his way slowly back up. It might have looked like a disaster in the making but Wally safely made it up the stairs and even opened the door on his own.

No one needed to know that he had almost spilled everything while trying to push the handle down with his elbow. He had made it and that counted.

The bowl was placed on the bed stand. There was still heat in the shirt and his hands were all warmed up now, so he couldn't even check if Bruce's temperature had changed in any way. However it felt rather nice to touch his own face and neck with his overheated hands, until that too went away.

His suit quickly found its place not on the chair itself but on the back of it, so that Wally could sit down. He scooted just a tad bit closer and took the towel from Bruce's forehead to dip it back into the water bowl. Though he made sure not to dip it into the bowl with the soup. That would be weird to explain. Gently he dabbed Bruce's face, letting the cool water settle everywhere until he gently shook the other's shoulder with his free hand. "Bruce? Bruce, wake up," he called in a low voice.

At first there was no reaction and Wally stopped the shaking until he decided to continue with washing Bruce's face. He wet even some of the hair. "There's food," he went on. "I promise to let you sleep as long as you want after that." Still no reaction followed. He knew that Martha had said that if he couldn't keep Bruce awake, that _that _was fine too but..what if he couldn't even wake him up? She hadn't said anything about that.

Luck still seemed to be on his side when Bruce actually groaned and his breathing pattern changed to someone starting to wake. Wally had heard it often enough during missions to know the difference between someone sleeping and being awake.

"Bruce?" Just for good measure he tried again.

"'lly?"

"Yeah it's me. C'mon, wake up some more. There's some soup and bread for you."

Instead of getting a reply Bruce grabbed Wally's wrist, the one that was dabbing the wet towel on his face, and stopped the movement. Wally let his hand be guided away from the face, though the grip didn't ease up.

"How do you feel?" Wally then asked, actually going so far as to put his free hand over the one that held his wrist, carefully moving his fingers over the other's. The gloves of the Batsuit felt strange without his own gloves on.

"Too hot," came the honest reply and a tired sigh as Bruce finally opened his eyes again. He seemed to take a moment to clear his eyes and then focused on Wally. It was weird, seeing such a sharpness in Bruce's eyes when he knew that he was probably almost delirious with that kind of fever.

Had Bruce's eyes always been such a clear blue?

"I can imagine," Wally said and carefully massaged Bruce's knuckles. His wrist still held captured. "You have a high fever. I wish I could get you out of the suit and put some proper clothes on, you must be uncomfortable." He couldn't help the blush that creeped up his neck at having to mention that he wanted to get Bruce out of the suit. _Get your mind out of the gutter, Bruce is sick! _he scolded himself quickly and cleared his throat. If Bruce's strange expression was anything to go by…yeah, no. Wally couldn't tell if Bruce had catched onto that strange sentence. "I guess we'll just have to wait until you feel better."

He suspected however that it might not be beneficial to remain in the Batsuit. Wally didn't know what kind of material it was because the Batsuit was just _insane _when it came to its design. Though if Wally remembered correctly then he knew that there were quite a few layers supposed to keep Bruce warm. And if he remembered fevers correctly, then the one having one usually needed to sweat it all out. So...was the suit good or bad in that case? Maybe he would ask Martha later. She had been was a mom so she would know these things. Right?

"You showered." Bruce pulled him out of his musings and he nodded.

Wally smiled somewhat. "I did. Couldn't stink up the place, now could I?"

"You didn't smell."

"Right. I'll take the word of someone passed out for most of the time. How does soup sound?" He quickly changed the topic because discussing his body odor was hardly something he wanted to talk about right now. They had by far more important things to worry about.

"Soup? Fine, 'spose." Now if that wasn't _excitement… _

Wally rolled his eyes and gently tugged on his hand, urging Bruce to release it. Only that Bruce just stared at him.

"Uh, do you mind to let go? Can't help you sit up like that." Still he massaged Bruce's knuckles, going so far as to slip down to the back of the hand. The process was mostly hindered by the thick glove material.

"Mhh, feels nice," Bruce murmured and his eyes drifted close, just for them to startle open again as Wally jerked his held hand to the side.

"Sorry, stay awake? I can totally massage your hands after you ate." And _that _was an offer he never thought he'd make. Not that he minded. He liked providing comfort and if Bruce liked what he was doing? He could definitely keep doing that.

A strange look of contemplation passed over Bruce's face (or was he just struggling to make sense of Wally's words) before he slowly released Wally's wrist. Wally massaged it for a second, seeing how the other's grip was still like steel, even when burning up from the inside, and stood up to help Bruce into a sitting position on the bed.

"There," Wally murmured and sat down again and switched the water bowl with the one with the soup. "Can you hold the bowl? Or should I help?"

Bruce seemed to study his own hands before gesturing for Wally to give him the bowl. He complied but kept his hands hovering over Bruce's in case the other overestimated his own strength. The bowl shook somewhat but Bruce managed well enough to simply hold the bowl with one hand in a way that let it rest against his chest while the other dealt with the spoon. Satisfied, Wally took the bread and simply crumpled pieces of it into the soup and let Bruce eat on his own.

It all felt oddly domestic, if it weren't for Bruce being so sick.

"You seem tired," Bruce murmured after almost half of the bowl was empty, looking down at it. "Did you get some rest last night. At all?"

Wally hummed while he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. "I lied down, if that's anything. But I didn't sleep no."

"And what about the bed?"

"What about the bed?" Wally echoed confused since Bruce was asking this so casually. Like a matter of fact.

"Sleep in it?" Bruce stopped eating the soup and Wally motioned for him to go on. Who knew how long he'd be asleep after this? But Bruce didn't since Wally's snort drew his attention and both looked at each other. He seemed genuine with that offer and Wally shook his head.

"Right. Because it's such a big one and you take up no space at all." Wally sighed. "You need the bed right now, just focus on getting better. Okay? Martha will bring me a pillow and a blanket and I'll sleep here." He waved his hand towards the space beside the bed on the floor.

Instead of receiving a reply Wally got handed the bowl and put it aside, with Bruce attempting to actually swing his legs out of the bed.

"Oh no, no, you stay right where you are. The only thing you're going to do is lie back down." He was already on his feet and pushing Bruce's feet back where they had been. A stern look later and Bruce actually repositioned himself to lie down again.

Bruce must be really out of it if _he _could make the Batman do something with just a look.

"I'm fine now, you should get some rest," Bruce began while Wally sat down once more and simply took Bruce's hand - the other looked rather confused at that but didn't stop him -, carefully removed the glove and started to massage it again. Like he had promised. "What are you doing?"

"Massaging your hand. You liked it earlier and I promised to do it again."

Bruce went silent but his face flushed even more and Wally couldn't help but relish in the fact that he was the cause for this. Maybe it wasn't the best way to handle a fever, having the one with the fever push even more heat into their face. But Bruce got so rarely flustered…

He didn't comment on it however and simply continued to massage the hand, this time easier without the barrier between their skin. Even there Bruce's skin felt hot, he didn't dare imagine how it was underneath that suit.

This went on for some time without changing out the massaged hand, seeing how it was on the other side of the bed and there was a wall there, when Bruce seemed to startled out of nodding off again. Wally stopped with his massage and meant to place Bruce's hand back beside the other when his wrist got taken hostage again. Only that the hold didn't stay there this time. Instead it wandered up his arm until Bruce held onto his biceps, effectively stretching to reach it.

"Come to bed."

Well, it was nice as long as it lasted, being the one flustering Bruce because there went his own blood straight to his face. "I...what?"

"You need sleep, there's space," Bruce drawled on.

All he could do was stare at the other as if he had grown another head. Did Bruce _really _think they'd sleep well on that small bed? Together? With him giving of heat and Bruce giving of heat and essentially baking each other?

He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he settled on one of the arguments he had against that. "...this..house. I mean...with them there and us asleep. I don't think it's such a good idea…" Which sounded more and more ridiculous. Martha was such a nice person and so far hadn't poisoned them either. But Bruce clearly didn't have all his senses together yet, far from it, and couldn't make his own legitimate opinion about them.

"I trust you."

"_What_?" Wally's eyes snapped to the other's face, meeting the still far too sharp looking blue eyes of Bruce.

"I trust you," Bruce repeated again and squeezed Wally's arm. "If you trust them then come to bed and sleep."

Now that was an argument. If only Wally could actually decide on trusting them. It felt like being pulled into two directions all the time. Especially when he ate the soup. He'd been so afraid that there would be something in there only to completely forget about it once he started eating and having a nice conversation with Martha. He tended to kind of relax because his whole body and mind agreed on them being trustworthy until a voice popped up again and reminded him to be _careful_. It wasn't just his own life at stake here.

But he was so tired too. It would have been easier if he had had much more food at hand but this entire scenario took already up more time than most of their missions. Maybe he was just paranoid _because _he was so exhausted. Maybe some sleep would actually help him.

Should he dare? If it really was exhaustion then he'd be thinking better after some sleep, if not…well, they'd either not wake up to find out or wake up to whatever would come upon them then.

His face must have betrayed some of the conflict because Bruce's hand slid down again, taking Wally's hand for real this time.

"It's fine." And somehow, Bruce sounded more put together than the last twenty-four hours. "Come to bed."

When he still didn't say anything, Bruce pulled gently on his hand and Wally followed it. Before he knew it Bruce had scooted closer to the wall so that he could lie down near the edge, more on his side than his back. They moved around a bit until Bruce settled on his back with Wally clinging to Bruce's arm to gain some more space on the bed, legs stretched out along the other's.

The still gloved hand found its way into Wally's hair and petted it briefly while his head sunk into the pillow and his entire body suddenly felt _heavy_. Much like when he had showered, as if a sudden bout of weariness came over him, now that his body just stopped being in such high demand. Always moving around, always thinking about things.

With a vague sense of having forgotten something, Wally was out before Bruce could even remove his hand from the hair.


	6. Chapter 6

The room was pitch dark when Wally woke up again, dry eyes opening with effort. Only to have tension make his body turn rigid as he breathed as carefully as possible, straining his ears for any sounds as he struggled to understand where he was. Or why his back was sweating so much.

Everything remained quiet however and slowly the tension bled away. He blinked a few times but there was hardly any light coming through the window so he softly groaned and buried his head back into the pillow and against Bruce's shoulder.

Until he realized that he was cuddling _Bruce._

Eyes wide open again, Wally stared at the black shape right in front of him. His arms were still clutching Bruce's arm close to his upper body while his legs had wound around the other's leg. There was also a blanket over them - no doubt thanks to Martha - which would explain the sweltering heat. Not only was he warmer than a usual human but Bruce was also emitting heat and perfectly reflecting his own. No wonder he was sweating, his back the only thing facing the open room and thus allowing some of the heat to escape.

A shiver ran down his back and Wally became aware that he really needed to go to the toilette as well. Groaning, as that feeling took precedence over the embarrassment of having gotten so close to Bruce during his sleep, he began the slow process of entangling himself and putting the blanket over Bruce to sit up.

"Where you going?" Bruce's voice, heavy with sleep, drifted up to him just when his feet touched the floor, only to notice that he hadn't even taken his boots off. He was such a bad guest. Wally was actually impressed that Bruce had woken up as easy has he had.

"I need the toilette," Wally whispered and stood up, taking the chance to stretch himself out with a groan. "I'll be right back." Not waiting for another reply, Wally quietly made his way out of the room and to the bathroom where he relieved himself.

The bathroom had little more light to offer and Wally didn't bother with the lights, feeling fairly confident to do his business in the dark after being in this room a total of one time. Done with the deed, Wally made his way back but simply stopped in the middle of the hallway and listened, though no one seemed to be awake and scheming something. Not that he expected anyone to be so...obvious about it when there was the potential of Bruce or him overhearing it.

No. The house was sound asleep and that alone settled it for him. The Kent's seemed to be truly what they seemed to be.

Suddenly feeling tons lighter after making that internal decision, Wally hurried back to their room and didn't even think about it as he slipped back underneath the blanket. To his surprise - he'd deny to everyone for all eternity that he froze up then and there - Bruce put his arms around him and drew him close.

So. They did just_ that._ Going back to cuddling while both were awake. Because Bruce had been awake and hadn't moved the entire time he had been asleep so _he had to be awake._ God, he was-

"Go back to sleep," Bruce murmured into Wally's hair and sighed, huffing warm air against his head.

"'m trying too," came his muffled reply, since his face was full of Bruce's chest. He was effectively trapped. And hot. As in temperature hot. Not that Bruce wasn't _hot_. But he was hot and maybe having a crisis right about then and there and-

Bruce gave of a low hum and carded one hand through Wally's hair.

His rapid thoughts flew right out the window.

So what? He was cuddling Bruce aka the Batman aka the Batman was hugging _him._ That was totally normal. Right? Not something to overthink. Right? Right.

"Please, stop thinking." Bruce's speech was already slurring again, the pull of more sleep stronger than anything else at the moment. It seemed. Though the grip around him didn't falter.

Wally sighed and resigned himself to his fate. _Right. Fate. As if this is the _worst_ thing that ever happened to me._ However he told himself to not take it too positive either. Bruce was having a fever and this could be some silly thing that the other just felt like doing.

Because that's what feverish people did. Or something like that.

_Right_. Something like that.

Having properly told himself off, Wally simply let the tension drain away from him and...enjoy the moment. It was better to not think too hard about it.

His heart, beating faster right then and there…well, he wasn't at fault for that. No, it was stupid Bruce and his stupid, strong arms.

If Wally had the space for it, he might have smacked himself on the face. Instead, because everything else would disturb Bruce, Wally closed his eyes and tried not to think of the Batsymbol and that huge chest and hard stomach right in front of him. _He mustn't._

It must have been an early Christmas miracle, since it was August, that Wally actually found sleep again. Or he was just really exhausted and not at all done with resting.

The next time he woke up, jerked into awareness, was due to a misfire from the tractor outside. Though his brain only understood that it had actually been a misfire and not a gunshot after he had basically slapped Bruce's arms away and stood in the middle of the room, panting, heart racing.

Something touched his hand and he whirled around, hair sticking into every direction and face pale until he realized that Bruce had leaned out of the bed to take his hand.

"I...wha...good morning," Wally finished off, let his shoulders slump and willed his heart to slow down again. Despite almost sleeping through the entire night he still felt a strange lethargy in his limbs. He decided it wouldn't hurt too much to sit down again and sat down on the edge of the bed. Bruce didn't move to hug him again but remained lying down.

"Good morning," Bruce said and Wally finally _really _looked at him. He still looked flushed and his eyes were still just a tad bit too sharp but he didn't look like death warmed over underneath that flush anymore.

"How do you feel?" The back of his hand was gently placed on Bruce's cheek and forehead before he could even think about it. The skin didn't seem to be that hot anymore. Maybe Martha's intervention with the medicine had helped a great deal after all.

Wally leaned over and took the boxes from the bed stand to pop one of each pill out to give to Bruce who took it without a fuss.

"Still tired but better." Down the pills went, again with the dry swallowing.

Wally couldn't help but make a face that earned him a somewhat sly smile. Bruce seemed to be in an amenable mood when he had a fever. There was even enough evidence to support Wally's theory. What with the hugging and cuddling.

"I'm glad to hear that," Wally smiled back for a different reason. "Do you think we can get you out of the suit?"

Both of Bruce's eyebrows went up and Wally immediately flushed, averting his eyes to the door of the room.

"Don't be like that. You know what I mean. I can't believe I'm saying that to you of all people," he mildly complained and turned back to the other.

"Why is that so strange? I do have a humor."

"That's debatable," Wally bit back with a pleased expression. How strange that it was so easy to play around like that, never mind his own blush. "And if there is one, then I wouldn't have thought you to have such a crude one."

"Crude?" Bruce asked back and shifted to sit up and unclasp his cape since he had slept on it the whole night. It fell back onto the bed. "I would hardly call this crude, it can be far worse. Besides, you started it."

"Yeah well, I-" His argument was interrupted by the way his stomach growled. Some of the easy feeling around them fell away while his face burned even hotter than before. "Sorry," he murmured and stood up, the space immediately occupied by Bruce's legs who sat on the edge of the bed by then.

Bruce shook his head and suddenly held up another of those tablets he had given Wally the day before this one. "Don't apologize. Here."

Like the first time Wally didn't hesitate and took it. Just like before he felt a strange rush of energy, the lethargy from earlier moving to the back of his mind, not completely going away. So far he could think of no downsides of this wonderous thing that Bruce had brought to existence. Except for maybe that it could be expensive to make but Bruce hadn't said anything about that.

"Better?" Bruce asked and slowly stood up, swaying slowly.

Wally was immediately there to aid him. "Better," he confirmed with a nod. "Bathroom?"

Bruce nodded as they started to walk. Wally barely had to assist after a few steps and went ahead to open the door. The smell of breakfast met them on the hallway, along with the faint sound of someone tinkering around in the kitchen, while Wally showed Bruce where the bathroom was.

"Will you take a shower as well?"

There was a strange expression on Bruce's face and Wally got the faint impression that there was something he really wanted to say but didn't.

"Yes."

Wally remained in the doorway as Bruce looked around, the suit looking strange without its cape. It looked….bigger, with more places where the light was able to hit. At first he wanted to offer his help but didn't as he could just imagine how that would go down, with the strange mood that Bruce was in.

He almost wanted to anyway but he trusted Bruce to say something, should he really need help.

"Great," Wally nodded. "I'll get you some clothes and put them in front of-"

"You can just bring them in, I don't mind."

Wally's mouth snapped shut and his back went rigid. "Oh..yeah..sure..of course. I'll...get them then." He more or less fled to their room but stopped right in the doorway there. Leaning back a little he watched as the light from the bathroom disappeared as the door was closed from the inside.

So this was really happening. He was going to bring Bruce clothes and Bruce would be either in a semi-undressed or naked state and he was just...walking in there. When exactly had Bruce decided that he wanted Wally _dead_?

He went over to the dresser and snatched the sweatpants, another shirt and one of the boxers out of the drawer, closing it and standing there. Like an idiot.

What was he so afraid off? Of combusting the moment he saw something? Of getting excited? Of all the things inappropriate that would happen to him and only him? Like opening the bathroom there and just face planting into the middle of it.

It just meant he'd just have to make double sure that _that _wouldn't happen.

Steeling his nerves, Wally clutched the clothes close to his chest and went back to the bathroom, knocking on it three times before he heard the okay to enter. There was no sound of rushing water, which meant that Bruce was either about to get in or not naked enough for that. And both scenarios were...something.

He had finally fully opened the door by the time another two potential damning scenarios popped up into his head, though he didn't need to have bothered. Bruce stood in front of the shower, the belt lying on the cover of the toilette and the torso free of the suit, the material hanging around his hips. The boots were off by the toilette as well but Wally hardly noticed that.

What he did notice was the flush on Bruce's shoulders, the well-toned muscles covered in faint scars and Bruce looking at him.

"Uh...brought the clothes," Wally murmured around his bright red face and racing heart and lifted the stuff as if Bruce couldn't see that on his own.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." There was one second where Wally actually used his speed and just...stared at Bruce's chest, now that it was presented to him like that. His face couldn't get any redder than it was right now anyway. Though he felt as if he were forgetting something as he focused back on Bruce's _way to amused_ expression.

"You can put it on the belt," Bruce provided when it became clear that neither of them was going to make another move, least of all Wally.

"But w- oh _right_," Wally quickly corrected himself and did just that. While his face couldn't get any redder than it was his hyper awareness sure shot through the roof while he complied. Now that he had averted his eyes he could barely make himself look back and quickly made his way back out again. "I'll see what can be done about breakfast," he declared and closed the door before Bruce could mess any more with his head.

He really should've put the clothes in front of the door and not indulge Bruce with these stupid jokes. Because that had to be one. In what world would Bruce let Wally ogle him? It sure seemed like a thing in _this _universe, despite Bruce being his the original Bruce and not Lord Batman with that weird obsession of him.

Was he the one who sicked Lord Superman on them? After everything they had done to work together? Even Bruce had willingly worked with that man and yet...There just wasn't anything to gain from keeping them there. Or at least keeping him there, it seemed that Bruce was just weight that had somehow managed to stay attached. _Thankfully. _If he were alone he might have had to talk to these two maniacs and that alone sent a shiver down his spine quite differently from the one when he saw Bruce topless.

"Good morning," he called as he came down the stairs and entered the kitchen. Martha and Mr. Kent seemed to have had breakfast already, if the set table and used dishes in the sink were anything to go by. "It smells amazing down here."

"Good morning," Martha echoed with a kind smile and immediately moved to get a plate out for Wally. "Will you eat down here? Great. I hope you slept well."

"I did. Sorry to fall asleep like that without saying good night." Technically they had meant to see each other again that day since he had asked for something. She must have seen him lying with Bruce in the bed and...she saw him with Bruce in the bed.

Of course someone saw that.

"Oh, it's fine. You looked so tired, both of you, so I let you sleep when I saw that you made do with the bed." Wally imagined that she winked at him but it might just be his imagination. "And I have to admit that I needed to wash the covers since they smelled stale. We haven't had need for them in some time." All the while she was moving around and putting things in front of him.

Scrambled eggs with cheese in it, half a loaf of bread like the day before, orange juice and some butter too. For the bread. Or because of the fat because Wally could need it quite much.

The smell right under his nose made his stomach growl and he gave her one of his most grateful expressions he could muster. "You know, you might just be too good to me. Do you mind if I eat at my speed?" Unlike with the soup before, he thought it important to actually ask her if it was alright to scarf it all down since he knew that it wasn't a great thing to behold. Not to him but he knew that John sometimes eyed him warily and he figured it was because it looked strange. He should ask him sometime if they got back.

_When,_ he corrected himself immediately.

"Not at all, go ahead. There's no need to waste food if it can help you instead. Will Bruce come down as well?" She must have heard them move around upstairs or maybe she could hear the pipes from the bathroom, since she didn't really ask about how Bruce was doing.

"I'm not sure. He seemed fine a few minutes ago and I would say yes but…he's not down yet so I guess I'll check up on him in a second." Or should he do that now? What if Bruce had collapsed in the shower and hit his head, bleeding out while Wally was down here having a nice time?

He was just about to stand up when on cue the muffled sound of someone walking above them appeared. Alright. Bruce hadn't collapsed then. Thankfully.

Relaxing again, he turned his attention back to the food and ate it all in record time. For a brief second he actually felt satisfied until his body started to pick it all apart. So much for food. But he was thankful nonetheless. Martha didn't need to provide for him but had done it anyway.

Once more he tried to deal with the dishes when she appeared beside him and took care of that.

"I will drive into town today to get some things. Is there something particular you need?" Martha asked as she put everything in the sink. Wally told himself that he'd do them, should they still be there when she was gone.

"I haven't thought about that…," he admitted and gave a thoughtful hum. Did they need something beside the basics? So far they had made do and Martha seemed to have had everything here that they needed above that.

Should they do more to tarn themselves? He could change his hair color but...he wasn't really inclined to do so. He didn't _want _to stay here long enough to warrant such a change and need to hide. "I'm going to ask Bruce about it, if that's fine?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'll be here for another hour or so and then drive into town."

"Great," he said and stood up. "Then I'll do just that. And bring him something to eat."

Again she nodded and walked around to put everything on a plate this time. This was easier to carry than the bowl of soup and after another grateful smile, he made his way up the stairs and back to their room.

The door was standing slightly open so he didn't need to use his elbow. Or free hand. Figures that it would be easy when he didn't even carry that much, unlike yesterday.

"I brought breakfast," he declared in a calm voice and showed off the plate when Bruce looked at him from the bed. He was sitting cross-legged on it, looking like a different person in casual clothes (_of course_ looking good in them) and leaning against the wall. He looked way more tired again than compared to before the shower. "Everything alright?"

"I think the fever went up again," Bruce sighed and didn't move from his position against the wall when Wally stepped up on the bed with one knee and placed the back of his hand on Bruce's face, checking for the fever like the last few times, concern all over his face.

"Mh, you might be right. At least you already got some medicine in you to fight that off. Do you feel like eating?"

"I'm not nauseous if you want to ask that," Bruce provided. "I will try to eat a bit."

With that, Wally held out the plate for Bruce to take and went off the bed to grab Bruce's cape that had been pushed to the side and folded it up. The rest of the Batsuit had been thrown over the chairs back, effectively hiding Wally's own suit. Odd. He'd have thought Bruce to be neat, since he was so painfully anal about other things. Most of all stupid reports.

"Will you want a detailed report from me after we get back or will yours be enough?" He suddenly asked while he put the folded-up cape over the rest of the suit.

The question and topic must have taken Bruce by surprise because he actually coughed while taking a bite from the slice of bread. To think that all it took to get Bruce to be unaware was a fever…

"That's what you're worried about?"

"I'm worried about many things...and I got time on my hand." Wally tapped against the side of his head to show what he actually meant and smiled at Bruce. "So...do I have to write one?"

"Of course."

The smile on Wally's face fell away as he groaned while Bruce continued to eat as if he hadn't just crushed about every ounce of hope within Wally. "_Seriously_?!"

"Seriously," Bruce echoed. "The system will need your side of the story as well."

"Well, my side is the same as your side."

"Hardly. I've been asleep for most of the time since the portal closed."

Well...that _was_ a good argument. "_Hardly_ anything happened," Wally scoffed back and crossed his arms. "I could tell you and you could write about it."

A strange look passed over Bruce's face as his tone turned incredulous. "Are you _trying_ to pick a fight?"

There was a second where Wally actually pouted before sighing heavily. He let his arms fall to the side and sat down on the chair, aware of the amount of clothes between his back and the back of said chair. "No, I'm not. Sorry."

"Why are you suddenly concerned about writing a report?"

Wally frowned, not sure himself why he had suddenly focused on that topic like that. "I don't know. It was a passing thought and I...dunno, it seemed silly enough to talk about while you ate. Maybe I need to move around for a bit."

"You're not going to lap the world are you? No? Good," Bruce hummed and leaned away from the wall to put the empty plate on the bed stand.

"You should sleep some more," Wally said and stood up again, pulling at the blanket to...was he _actually _going to tuck in Bruce?! What exactly was he doing here? "Oh and before you do that," he quickly added before Bruce could actually argue against going to bed at this hour. "Martha is going to town for some groceries and asked if we need anything. Do we need anything? Maybe a fake mustache?" He actually laughed somewhat at the weird face Bruce made, though he didn't know if it was about the mustache or the fact that _he was tucking him in_. Jesus. He was really doing that.

Wally threw the blanket rather than putting it gently over Bruce and stepped back.

"No, I can't think of anything right now. You however...stay close."

"Haven't strayed away so far," Wally promised easily and went over to the window to draw the curtains close. They were heavy and dark enough to put the room into a semi-darkness that should let Bruce sleep for a little bit. "Actually, I'll check up on you from time to time. Try to drink something when you wake up.".

"You sound like Alfred."

Wally could _feel _Bruce's eye roll from where he stood. "Someone has to do it, since he's not around." And for good measure he stuck out his tongue as well, not that Bruce would see it.

"_Very_ mature."

Or he would.

"Whatever. Get some sleep, drink water, don't miss me too much, I need to tell Martha we don't need anything." If Bruce could chide him like that, then he was enough of a big boy to fall asleep on his own, so he left the room with a wave at the door and gently closed it. He'd have to open the window later to let some fresh air in.

He too could use some fresh air and he already knew what he would do while doing that. After finding Martha, which wasn't as difficult as seemed since he found her in the living room this time, writing down on a piece of paper. It seemed to be her shopping list. "Hey," he called to alert her to his presence and she looked up at him. "I talked to Bruce, we don't need anything but thank you for asking."

"You're welcome," she smiled and turned back to finish writing her list. "I guess I'll be on my way then, no need to wait any longer." Martha stood up and walked around, obviously gathering the things she needed with her while Wally himself moved to the kitchen, checking to see if the dishes were already done.

They weren't. Hah. He'd _so_ do them once she was gone. Especially because he'd first have to look around to see where he could put everything. And after that he would get some air since it seemed more waiting was in order.

That decided, Wally moved to see her off, closed the door behind Martha as she waved him goodbye and made her way to the car. He waited a good while, watching the car get farther and farther away until he deemed it safe enough to put his attention to the dishes after having a look around the kitchen.

Everything was as orderly as he thought it would be, seeing how Martha ran the kitchen. He made quick work of the dirty dishes, wiping them dry once he was done with them and put them where they belonged. The task alone didn't even take up ten minutes.

After that he moved up to Bruce to actually put some fresh water in the pitcher, to his surprise (and not surprise) Bruce was fast asleep. Which was probably a good thing. The body could regenerate like that and work with the ibuprofen to fight against the fever. Even if the fever was kinda doing what it was supposed to do. As long as it wasn't getting to high and turning against the body. Or so Wally imagined it worked. He really should brush up on these kinda facts for his teammates alone.

Just so he knew what he could actually do besides getting some towel wet with water. It felt rather useless in the grand scheme of things when it came to a fever.

He carefully put the full pitcher with fresh water back to where he had gotten it from and closed the door again, with Bruce being none the wiser that he had already been checked up on. Even though Wally hadn't touched the other's face, who knew how _deeply _Bruce was actually sleeping already.

Now standing in the hallway he wondered what he could do with his time, besides catching some fresh air.


	7. Chapter 7

Wally still held the idea in mind to help the Kent's out on their farm, despite not really knowing what there was to do. A fact that could easily be remedied by just asking Mr. Kent. Who apparently was already working outside he remembered after recalling the moment he had woken up because of the tractor's engine.

So he moved downstairs and out of the house, enjoying the light wind that immediately greeted him. It was such a different feeling, now that he knew that they had a bed here and that Bruce was taken care of. That he didn't need to worry about finding the next hideout and how to help him. No, instead he could actually stand there, eye the sky warily and just do what he intended to do. Which was talk to Mr. Kent. Who it was kinda weird to talk to. Martha was such a warm person and he knew for a fact that Mr. Kent was actually the same too (at least back home) but here he seemed more...distanced. Not that he could fault him for that.

Everything he had endured so far was thrown back into his face just because Wally had shown up.

But still, Wally was determined to help them out at least a little bit, in any shape or form that was possible for him.

It was easy to spot the tractor making its dusty way across the field quite a little distance away, farther than the day before due to the progress.

Wally used his speed to catch up with the tractor, but made sure to come from the side where he could be seen. As hoped the tractors engine grew quieter as Mr. Kent slowly let it come to a halt and looked at him curiously.

"Yes?"

"Hey Mr. Kent," Wally greeted him with a small smile. "I wanted to ask if I could help you with something? The day does kinda drag on with Bruce just sleeping and me waiting...and I'd like to help anyway."

An almost apologetic look crossed the man's face. "I'd gladly take you up on that but we only have this one tractor, the only way you could do something would be the old-fashioned way and that's quite some work."

"I don't mind. Just show me what to do and I'll do it!" It couldn't be that hard, doing what the tractor did. Though...it would be nice to know what the tractor actually did before he could say that out loud with some confidence.

"Are you sure?" Now Mr. Kent sounded uncertain and Wally wondered if he really was so sure about that but...he had never been one for backing down helping someone. "I am. I'll make good use of my speed, don't worry."

"Then you will need a scythe. There is an old one in the barn adjacent to the house, you should spot it easily leaning against the wall. Once you get it-"

Wally didn't mean to be rude but it was just easier to suddenly show back up with the scythe in his hands, despite the weird feeling of running around with a sharp object like that.

"We can…," Mr. Kent trailed off and blinked at him before shaking his head. "Alright." Mr. Kent even sounded amused for a moment there as he got out of the tractor and joined Wally on the ground. "Here give it to me. Thank you. I will show you how it's done. You want to cut down the wheat close to the ground and then gather everything up," Mr. Kent started to explain and showed it to Wally by swinging the scythe as if he had done that his entire life. "It will be easier if you cut for some time and then gather it in a few bundles. After that you want to get the wheat berries off of the stalks, either bring a bucket to you or bring the bundles into the barn. There is a container in there you can put the wheat berries in that I can later work with."

Well, that didn't sound too bad at all. Wally could cut down some of that and do what Mr. Kent had told him. He nodded and carefully took the scythe back from the other. "Sounds doable. I could start on the other end of the field? It's no problem at all and like that I won't get in your way," he offered and looked over the field. Though he could barely see the end of it due to the wheat, so he turned back to Mr. Kent.

"You can do that but maybe don't go directly to the edge of it. You are hiding here after all. And don't worry about informing me about anything. If you want to stop, you stop and go back to the house. I will continue my work here."

Mr. Kent sounded super nice all of the sudden, compared to the way Wally had perceived him before. Maybe he had just taken some time to warm up to him or Mr. Kent had only now decided that Wally was genuine enough. Either way, he felt already more comfortable in the other's presence. Though the way he said it also made him not so confident about this harvesting work. Was it that bad?

"I'll give my best," he smiled at Mr. Kent who actually somewhat smiled back and started to get back into the tractor. "So...see you whenever then, huh?"

"Yes, have fun," Mr. Kent replied from his seat in the tractor and gave him a small salute with two fingers before he started to drive the tractor again.

Wally eagerly returned the salute, made a step back and used his speed, below sound of course, to reach the other end of the field. Curiously he peeked out at what lied beyond the edge of the stalks and...yeah sure, he was hiding but out here was literally nothing? besides this old weathered wood fence that probably marked off where the Kent's land ended. Right behind that fence was another field, though it looked more wild than deliberately grown and there was no street or trail that suggested that people came this way. However he'd still heed Mr. Kent's warning and stayed a good meter away from the edge, confident that the wheat would hide him for a little bit as he started to work.

At first there was just wheat in his face, the stalks close enough to actually be bothersome to move around now that he wasn't using his speed and he wasn't close to the tractor where everything had been harvested already. He used the scythe's handle to push some of the wheat away from him, creating a small circle where he could move his arms freely enough and decide on which directly to start with. Only that he wasn't seeing much. From a little away the stalks hadn't looked that tall but now standing in it...yeah...it was somehow exciting. He had never done something like this before.

He imitated the way Mr. Kent had held the scythe and decided to just go for it. He swung it and actually got some of the stalks cut but a little bit too high to his liking. And he had underestimated the way the scythe would swing with its own weight once it got going.

At least it seemed to be sharp enough despite its age.

Rolling his shoulders, Wally corrected his stance to what felt natural with the scythe in his hand and actually got to work. Methodically he cut the stalks down and managed to get lower and lower with each swing that he made, getting used to it quite fast enough. All that he did with normal speed at first, getting a feel for it until he got gradually faster and faster, learning the centrifugally each time anew and adjusting to it so the scythe wouldn't fly out of his hands.

Wally could see why Mr. Kent had been so reluctant about it, seeing how it worked quite differently than the tractor.

But it also gave him something to do _and _it was helping the Kent's out so he would just do that.

With motivation he continued to cut the stalks down and checked after a while how far he had come. He hadn't even realized that he had gotten quite a few meters of distance due to his speed, actively cutting a way through the field along the edge of it. Now seemed a good time to get to that second step that Mr. Kent had mentioned. Carefully he put the scythe down and started to zip around and gather the stalks into several bundles which he could carry around by hand. The wheat was pricking the skin on his hands, which immediately went away again anyway, and he wondered if it would be alright to ask for gloves the next time. Though now he didn't need them. Instead he got a bundle that barely fit his arms and made his way to the barn.

He had seen the container before, when he had quickly grabbed the scythe but hadn't really thought about its use.

The bundle of stalks was soon thrown before the container and Wally looked around, not sure how to proceed from here. Mr. Kent hadn't really explained much about that part. Something about berries and putting them in the container. Which meant the container would be the first thing to be checked out.

It seemed standard enough to him, something he saw around construction sites only more refined to fit the farm. While looking around Wally found a ladder that he could place against the container and look into it. The bottom of it was covered in what must be the wheat berries, which made sense. So he had to collect those from the stalks itself and put them in here, though doing so piece by piece would be kinda stupid. Mr. Kent had said something about a bucket and it didn't take too long to find that one too. It seemed that the Kent's were rather orderly when it came to the workplace, whether it be the kitchen or the farm. Wally appreciated that since it made everything just that much easier.

The bucket was put down beside the bundle and Wally picked one of the stalks up to try it out. Shaking it didn't really do much, though it made sense since the wind couldn't really shake them loose either. So he tried next with his hands, sliding it along the slide to the top while holding it into the bucket. With some added wiggling and force behind his fingers the wheat berries easily came off and fell into the bucket.

Perfect.

Smiling to himself because he had figured it out, Wally got to work for real again. At first he brought his other bundles back into the barn and put it all in one place beside the bucket. After that he started to collect the wheat berries into his bucket.

He even discovered that he had to mind his speed to a certain point because the wheat didn't like the heat of the friction too much. However nothing had started to burn. Thankfully.

In between working through the stalks Wally made sure to lift the bucket from time to time, to see if he could still lift it. He almost got it full before he could bring it up the ladder and into the container.

It certainly wasn't that much that was added but all in all that kind of process wouldn't take him long and he had just started. He could make it a progress.

Determined, Wally entered a certain mindset and fixated on his new work. First he finished to collect the remaining wheat berries and then got back out, starting it all over again by cutting some of it down and then bringing it to the barn.

It was actually kind of nice, to do something like that. He had something to do that wasn't pointless and nothing too boring. He could switch it up between the collecting and the cutting down and he could stop or start one or the other if one got too repetitive.

Around midday he stopped once and simply sat back. He wasn't really out of breath but he felt pleasantly tired. The kind of fatigue one felt after a _really _good run, when the muscles didn't ache but still obviously were affected. In this case his hands were tingling from the friction when he collected the berries. The irritation healed of course but he could still feel it underneath, the way his hands slightly hurt and the skin itched.

Maybe it was the missing food that made it all the more obvious. Or the way he had to hold back. Not only because of the danger of being found but because he didn't really want to burn down the barn either.

He would hate to have to explain to Martha how that happened. .

So going slow it was.

During his break he sat down by the container, leaning against it and closing his eyes to take deep breaths. He could hear footsteps outside the barn and after some hesitation come inside and closer to him.

"Water?"

Wally opened his eyes again and looked up at Martha, effectively beaming at her and moving to stand up. "You're awesome. The perfect host," he grinned and accepted the glass when she gestured for him to remain sitting.

"I try," she chuckled. "I've come by the barn before but I believe you were currently out on the field by then so I figured I'd just check now and again. There's food ready as well, I gave some to Bruce already and made sure he took some medicine."

"Really? Thank you. I'd have checked up on him around now anyway." And he would still do that. He trusted her by now, obviously, but he still wanted to see how Bruce was doing with his own eyes. There was no one else around here that belonged to him. No matter how strange that sounded.

He finished his glass and stood up, stretching his arms above his head and arching his back to the point where he had to take a step forward to catch himself. Which felt gratifying to no end. "Alright. I guess I should eat some before I go back to some old-fashioned farming. Who knew that it was that much work?"

"I'm sure every farmer in this area knew," Martha replied amused and started to walk out of the barn with Wally following behind. "It's usually city people who feel surprised by that."

"Hey," Wally complained but had to smile a second later. "Guess you're not wrong."

Martha nodded. "I'm not." Though she too looked like as if it was more of an insider joke than anything else.

Together they walked around the house and entered it, the smell of food immediately hitting Wally's nose. "Ah, homemade meals, my favorite," he murmured, which earned him another smile from Martha. She really was a kind soul, wasn't she? Then again, mothers were always different to guests than to sons, he could imagine her to be rather stern when the need arose. He definitely would ask Supes about a few childhood stories.

However, there was a whole lot more that he and the others and Bruce would have to talk about until he could ask about childhood memories when they got back.

He didn't dwell on it too long and moved to the kitchen. This time he didn't even get to ask if he should help when Martha moved around and got his plate ready, so he asked something differently. "Did Bruce come down? Or was he even awake by the time you brought him something to eat?"

"He was awake when I entered the room," Martha nodded and put the plate in front of Wally, steam rising from it. "And I made him walk around a bit after checking his fever. It seemed lower than yesterday," she confirmed what he had already noticed. The question was if it was lower than in the morning. "I gave him a few books to read when he couldn't fall asleep again. He also asked after you, though by the time I only knew that you were out."

"Mh, I better go up to him after this then," Wally nodded to himself and made sure that the meal was properly cooled instead of just digging in. He hated this waiting phase when the food was right there but most likely hot enough to burn his tongue. "Do you think he will be well soon?"

Martha nodded as she sat down at the table with a cup of coffee. "I think so yes. He seems to recover rather fast. Maybe it wasn't really an infection and more like a shock. The body can react in strange ways to sudden injuries and we wouldn't be able to tell with a doctor and blood tests."

Wally gave a thoughtful hum as he stirred around the potato mash to let it cool off faster. Martha was right. Maybe Bruce had only gone into shock. Which itself was also not the best thing one could have happen to them but if that were the case then maybe the fever would back down faster than expected.

Wally was just glad that Bruce seemed to be doing so well already.

Instead of stirring the entire meal into a mess, Wally took his first bite to see if it had cooled off enough. It had. The meal was gone within seconds.

"Ah, that tasted amazing. Thank you!"

"Would you like seconds?"

Wally's eyes grew slightly wide as a faint blush appeared on his face. His "Really?! Yes, please!" might have sounded too eager but he didn't mind too badly, he was rather hungry after all.

But Martha didn't make fun of him anyway, instead she gave him an amused expression and filled his plate again.

"I think you're one of my favorite persons so far," he said and stirred up the food again, letting the steam escape. Though he also started eating again, albeit with a few more noises as it burned his tongue.

She laughed amused. "That doesn't seem like such a difficult thing. Food seems to do the trick."

"You'd be surprised." Wally winked at her and finished his second plate just as fast as he felt too impatient to let it properly cool down. Any extra food he could come by was worth burning his tongue for. "But it might help along...a little bit. Will you let me do the dishes this time?"

"This time? I think we both know you already did them. And you're also helping on the farm, you hardly need to do any dishes." Again she took the plate from him and put it in the sink. "So how about you check up on Bruce while I take care of _my _kitchen. Mh?"

There were less subtle ways to throw him out of a kitchen and Wally heeded that advice. He gave a nod, a small wave of his hand accompanied with a smile and left the kitchen and went upstairs.

He knocked gently on the door before entering the room and found Bruce sitting at the end of the bed, near the window, leaning against the wall again with a book in his lap.

"Hey," Bruce looked up.

"Hi," Wally smiled and let the door fall close behind him, leaving it slightly ajar. He went over to the bed and sat down on it with crossed legs, facing the other. "You look slightly better. And you're awake!"

"I've been awake before," Bruce mused, the flush on his face not nearly as visible as it had been yesterday. Or even this morning, though that could have been the morning light. "But I do feel better. Martha is a generous host."

"That she is." Wally agreed and bend himself lower to the bed to see the title of what Bruce was reading. But the book was lying flush in Bruce's lap and he couldn't catch a glimpse so he straightened up again to face Bruce's lifted eyebrows.

He turned slightly defensive. "...What?" There was something in Bruce's eyes that he couldn't read, though it seemed close enough to amusement.

"Nothing," Bruce murmured but the corner of his mouth slightly lifted up. Was he making fun of him?

"You sure?" He had missed something. Suspicious, he glanced back down at the book and back up at Bruce. It couldn't be the book itself, it was borrowed from the Kent's, there could be nothing damning in it. Had Bruce hidden something under there?

The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched, as if he wanted to grin even wider. "Yes. Although...you seem awfully interested in my crotch?"

"I…," Wally started confused at Bruce and then looked down at_ the book _again. "What?..." He was drawing a blank. What had the book to do with Bruce's cr- _Oh_. His face instantly went bright red and his eyes snapped up to Bruce's. "No! Why would you think that?!" They both knew why Bruce would think that by now and Bruce seemed to have reached the end of his control and chuckled.

Bruce _chuckled. _Without the excuse of a high fever or an early morning or…

Had Bruce always been like that underneath the cowl? Because if so...it was quite fun, despite his own embarrassment over the fact that he technically had looked like trying to look at Bruce's crotch. Which wouldn't have been a bad image to see before he died but...his thoughts had been pure and entirely focused on the book.

"Why ever.. ," Bruce finally added with mirth in his eyes.

_That _had been what Wally couldn't read and it looked good on Bruce. Wally couldn't help himself and give a smile of his own while he shook his head. When he had come in here he had expected business like conversation but not both of them laughing about Bruce's crotch. Made even worse to ignore now that Bruce had actually brought attention to it.

Bless the open book still lying there or Wally would just embarrass himself further.

Bruce sobered up a bit, the mirth retreating as he swept his eyes over Wally. "You look...haggard? A bit thinner? Are you alright?"

Wally was still fighting the urge to glance down to the _book _again while Bruce easily shifted to concern. "Ah...yeah. Just taking a break is all. I even had two servings, don't worry." It wouldn't be the first time that food had been cut off from him in the quantity that he needed it. The recovery phase was always a bitch and it didn't happen too often, thankfully, but he would live. For now anyway.

"That's not enough-"

"I _know_," Wally butted in and turned more serious as well, the blood slowly receding from his cheeks. "But I can't ask Martha for more. Your wonderous nutrient pill and the food that she makes will have to be enough for now. It's fine, really." He was just glad that he had eaten before coming up here. Knowing his own body, it would now growl to make a point where there didn't need to be one made.

A familiar expression entered Bruce's face, one he knew two well when arguing with Bats. Displeasure.

Well, Bruce would have to suck it up for once because there was nothing he could do about it. Bruce seemed to come to the same conclusion because he simply changed the topic.

"Taking a break from what?"

"Mh? Oh yeah. I'm helping Mr. Kent on the field. And yes I'm making sure no one sees me," he mentioned before Bruce could get all upset about that as well. "It's rather interesting, really. I've never harvested wheat before, especially not by hand. It's kinda fascinating, though I imagine I will dislike it by tomorrow." because it could get repetitive, despite having the choice to do one thing or the other. In the end, it was still one giant process.

The unease on Bruce's face seemed to melt away in the face of Wally's excitement about harvesting wheat. That or he was bored from it.

"That's nice of you. Though don't do too much or you're going to burn your reserves away faster than necessary." Bruce reminded (scolded?) him, still looking mildly concerned.

Wally could do nothing but give an assuring smile. He knew his body and his limits (and how to push past them if necessary) but he still appreciated the concern. "I know, don't worry. I'm here right now aren't I? I mean… We could try to come up with a plan?" The one topic that burned the hottest within his chest. _How to get back home. _And now Bruce was wide awake and seemed to think as clearly as he always did (that and the small fact that he could now apparently joke around Wally). There was no better time than now.

Bruce however gave a hum and looked down at the book, in thoughts.

"Bruce?" What? Did Bruce not want to leave? What else did he expect them to do? Sit this out and meet up with the Lord's once things cooled down?!

"There isn't much to plan. Lord Batman will be prepared for anything. All we can hope for is that we can surprise them enough to seize control of the portal. And manipulate it at the same time so they won't use it again."

"So… So We don't have a plan? We just crash in there and hope for the best?! _That's _your plan?"

"Yes."

_Did it hurt to admit that? _Wally huffed to himself, not exactly happy with how that had gone down. Somehow he had expected an elaborate plan to sneak in and hack past all the security measures and get the fuck out of here.

Unless… "Do you…do you think Lord Batman is behind this? Or Lord Superman? Maybe if we help him, we-"

"No," Bruce sounded cold as he interrupted Wally. "He won't help us. Whatever his motives are, we cannot trust him." The _We never could_ hang in the air after that.

"But maybe _I _cou-"

"_No_." End of discussion. Just like that.

"_But_ between the two of us!" Wally began again, faster to make sure that Bruce would at least let him finish his sentence. Both were quiet for two seconds until Wally deemed it safe enough to continue. "But between the two of us we could handle him, I'm sure. You know how he thinks and I think I could use some of his weird obsession that he's got going on to our advantage."

"Absolutely not."

"It's not like I'm going to have sex with him, jesus!" Wally complained and rolled his eyes, missing the way Bruce flinched. Why would Bruce even react this way. Was Lord Batman really _that _dangerous that the two of them couldn't deal with him? Because Wally was certain that Lord Batman was the brain behind this. He had to. Lord Superman seemed more of a do-er than a thinker. And Wally really wasn't about to fall head over heels with the enemy. Which those two Lords were. In his mind both Bats had never been the same. Sure, they shared their good looks but that was where it had ended for Wally. As if some weird flirty eyes and praising about him being what the League needed would make him fall in love with a stranger.

Bruce really should have more faith in him.

"All I'm saying is….all I'm saying, I think we could at least take him on. Tie him up or something. Then we have one problem out of the way and as far as I recall you're always prepared, which means _he's _always prepared. Do you think he got some Kryptonite in his belt?" There, at last he got his words out and he didn't think this plan to be too bad. It was better than get in and see what's there. Lord Batman wasn't faster than him. Sure Batman, any Batman, liked to be prepared for any case but how do you prepare against a speedster that was out for you with a rope?

"It's not a bad idea," Bruce finally relented but side eyed Wally with an unhappy expression. "But he might be prepared for that too and gotten rid of the Kryptonite."

"Which is fine. I could still tie him up. Do _you _have Kryptonite?"

Bruce nodded over at the chair where their suits. "Yes, in my belt. I obviously couldn't get to it fast enough."

"Which is fine, the attack came out of nowhere," he quickly assured the other. Wally wouldn't hold it against him as he too had seen it too late. And he was the Speedster of the group. "But it means that we can fight, that we have a chance. Between the two of us, how bad can they be? It's one Batman and meta-human against the other. We just evened out the playfield, now that you're getting better again."

"Technically Superman isn't a meta-human, he's an alien." Wally couldn't help but roll his eyes again. _Technicalities. _"And you're awfully optimistic...and using tactic."

"Hah, you know me," Wally grinned and squared his shoulders, gesturing around as if to show off. "Always ready to surprise everyone."

Bruce slightly grinned too only to turn somber again. "No…you just let everyone underestimate you most of the time."

Well, that conversation took a turn. He wondered why Bruce felt the..liberty to speak so freely all of the sudden. Wally was pretty sure that they would have never had that conversation back home where everything remained the same. No matter how often Wally would try to start up small talk with Bats.

"I'm not so sure…," Wally finally admitted, ears turning a faint red. At last his face was spared. "I'm exactly what I am all the time."

"Mhhh, no," Bruce insisted again and stared at him. "I'm sure there's more behind it. Just look at you now. Taking over when the results aren't satisfying. Coming up with your own plans and theory."

Wally gaped at him. "Are you...did you...was that a _test_?" Had it been? Why would Bruce do that at a time like this? Was he _trying _to make fun of him?!

But Bruce only shook his head, slowly and deliberately. "No." Was that the only word he was currently capable of?! "I wasn't trying to be difficult and goad you into something. To be honest I'm not sure how to go against Lord Batman. The first fight...it can hardly be called a fight. There's nothing I could do that he won't know."

"Don't say that." He had never seen Bruce so...hopeless. Or maybe it was directionless since there was no direction to take. Not for him anyway. "You can't let him discourage you from acting. He's got a Superman but you got a Speedster. I'm not saying I can beat Lord Superman, I'd never be so bold and claim that, but I'm fast and you got a brain. I'm sure we could come with some form of plan that involves my speed. And no matter what speed Lord Batman plans with...Lord Superman won't ever come close to mine."

There was no change on Bruce's face, not at first, but then, gradually, it changed to a softer smile and turned incredibly...fond.

"You know...I can see why what happened here happened. Without you. Without your kindness and honesty."

"Don't say _that _either," Wally scoffed. "As if I'm the only honest person within the League. After this you guys won't be the only one being closely watched. I _expect_ you guys to do that to each other as well. Being honest. And call out your bullshit. If what happened here happens back home then I'm coming back to haunt your asses."

"Hear hear."

"I'm not joking."

"I sure hope you're not."

"What?"

But Bruce just smiled more at him, gave a low hum and simply turned back to his book. He didn't even lift it up, instead he let it remain in his lap and picked off where he had stopped at.

"Very mature, ignoring the question," Wally huffed out while getting off from the bed. It seemed that his break was over. He had eaten, had checked up on Bruce (they even had a plan! Although without details about how and when) and felt like going back to work with a good conscience now that things were a bit clearer.

"As mature as you sticking your tongue out," Bruce shot back but didn't look up from his book.

"Desperate measures and all that. Or something along the line. I'm sure I could come up with a perfectly normal explanation for that."

"I'd like to see you try."

"...then I will. Later. I want to get a bit more harvesting done. At least the row I last started on." There wasn't that much left on it anyway. After that he would have to stop for a while. As much as he had insisted that he knew what he was doing Bruce was right. He didn't need to burn more energy than was necessary. Although moving was also important for his sanity. It still baffled him that Lord Batman, for all that he claimed to know him, had tried to keep him still.

Finally Bruce looked up and Wally only now noticed that the other's eyes weren't as painfully sharp as before. The fever really must have gone down well enough. He'd have to ask Bruce about it sometime. If it was an infection or shock.

"Take care out there...keep your eyes open," Bruce said and Wally nodded.

"I will don't worry. I won't be too long out there." He suspected that they could actually talk about their plan a bit more this evening. If Bruce wasn't too tired by then. If so then they would surely do that tomorrow, if that improvement curve was anything to go by.

Wally smiled at Bruce and gave a little wave of his hand and left the room, receiving a waving hand back as he closed the door.


	8. Chapter 8

On his way downstairs and out the door he pondered why Bruce was behaving the way he was. Wally was sure that Bats had never talked to him like that. Not that easily or freely when it came to some things. Or the teasing. And still...he didn't feel alienated from Bruce. It didn't feel _wrong _to receive this kind of attention.

Sure, at first he could have put the blame to the fever but now? Bruce was back in full control again and still acted a certain way, just less loopy and exhausted. One could almost call it...flirting? _Was _it flirting?

"Oh my god," Wally whispered to himself after having arrived back at the edge of the field and his scythe. "Am _I _flirting with Batman?!" Quickly he looked around, as if someone could jump out of the field or from behind the silly fence and yell '_Ha! Played for a fool!_' but nothing of the sort happened. Instead he picked the scythe up and started to cut his wheat back down, whilst his brain melted out of his ears. Or was his heart escaping his chest?

Batman, _Bruce, _was very attractive and he had this certain...air about him that was just...Wally had no words for it. Maybe _unf_ described it best. But that was silly too and he hoped that no one ever, _ever_ knew of that kind of thought.

Maybe it was a good thing that no J'onn was around to witness that kind of meltdown between his ears. Though at least Wally knew that his J'onn would never break his privacy but...did J'onn pick up on emotions too? In general? He sure hoped not.

The main point however was that he apparently _had_ flirted with Bruce, even if he hadn't noticed. The even bigger point in this, even if it wasn't the main one, was that Bruce had flirted _back._ Or initiated it. Somehow. Not that anyone was to blame. Apparently both of them flirted with each other and it...worked.

Why did it? It shouldn't. They had bigger problems, bigger issues at hand that shouldn't leave time to that kind of stuff. That kind of stuff had no right to be nowhere near them right now. In a different _dimension._ It wasn't as if they had gone to the neighbor and started to flirt there, embarrassing everyone. No. They were in a strange world with no means, at the moment, to go back home and all they did was sit around and _flirt._

_Damn Bruce, being so sneaky about it. _Wally scoffed out loud and then coughed as some of the cut stalks whirled some dirt up and he inhaled it. Stupid dirt. Stupid Bruce. Wally was just now realizing what was going on.

...what if it wasn't flirting? What if Bruce was just being super nice because he had no one else around but him. They both were lost here, it would stand to reason to stick close...but not that close. Right?

He'd just have to keep an eye open and see what would happen. It certainly wasn't hurting anyone, as long as they didn't dilly dally too long here. In the end they could always flirt back home as well.

Wally put the scythe away and gathered his bundles, bringing them back to the barn one by one until there was a nice amount of it to harvest the berries from. He couldn't really believe any of this. The dimensional travel alone had been mind blowing, never mind these..._abstract_ versions of his friends and the absence of his own. And now Bruce flirting with him. Wally snorted and put his hands to work to gather the wheat berries in his bucket. There wasn't much he could do anyway. Besides telling Bruce to stop, which he didn't plan to do. And it might just put a damper on their interactions as well. Another thing he didn't want.

The bucket was on its way to become too heavy, so he stopped and made to put the content of the bucket into the container while in thought. At least this kind of routine came already easy to him that he didn't to focus too much on it.

Though staying with these thoughts wouldn't get him anywhere either. All he could do was theorize about it, while he actually should theorize about other things. Like their plan and how to enable it.

Lord Superman would be the bigger problem than Lord Batman, not that he thought that any kind of Batman was easy to defeat. Wally, however, was confident because he too had a Batman on his side. The question was how Lord Superman would react to Kryptonite from another dimension. Would it have the same effect? He sure hoped so. Without it...they would be fucked. And not in a nice way. Lord Superman could easily seize them. Relatively speaking. In the end Lord Superman would have to catch him first. Only with Batman there...it made things difficult as well.

Best not to tell that to Bruce. What if Bruce took that as criticism? Wally was merely taking his own abilities into account and his speed worked best when he didn't have to think about how the speed might affect other people. Leaving Bruce behind wasn't an option either. Wally would never be able to do that. Which meant he'd have to have faith in Bruce and his recovery. And that he didn't give up any plans as quickly as he had done earlier just because there was another Batman.

To some point he even understood this certain hopelessness, or at least liked to think he did. He was the only one out of their group that had no counterpart here and that alone was a weird thing. To know he had existed here but was dead now. Dead like Uncle Barry was back home, only that he missed Barry. It was strange to think that he could miss himself but to a certain degree he did. If this Wally hadn't gotten killed, if there had been anything that could have been done, then all of this here, with them, wouldn't have happened. To think that his friends, and that was what they were to him at this point, would go so far because he died?

Wally frowned down at the last of the stalks he had in the barn. People died all the time. It hurt but it was also something that had always been there. Had always hurt people. Why would his death be so different? What gave the Lords the right to make the decision that they were hurting more than anyone else? It just wasn't right.

And Wally intended to tell that to his friends back home as well. In a kind way of course but he had to tell them anyway. Though he suspected that now that they had seen what _could_ become of them that they wouldn't go so far. Despite Bruce's claims to somehow understand the reasoning behind it. Wally didn't know how far in the future this supposed death of him would be but at this point they were all acquaintances and friends, still on the cautious side here and there. Nothing that would prompt such a...a _rebellion _against everything they stood for.

Wally shook his head to chase the thoughts away and noted with a sigh that he had no more stalks with him. He looked out of the barn from where he was sitting with the bucket.

Should he go and do another row? The row he had meant to finish was _almost _done. Maybe one or three more swings with the scythe, he just hadn't felt the need to cut those down earlier. But going out there just for that amount seemed silly as well...maybe he'd just heed Bruce's warning and stop working for now. The sun's position had changed drastically anyway, clouds rolling in from the other side making everything a bit more gloomy.

There might be rain if the air was anything to go by.

He shook his head and stood up, arching his back. He dumped whatever he had gathered in his bucket in the container, noting with interest that he had made at least a bit of a difference compared to the morning when he had begun. Mr. Kent couldn't say anything now, he was helping. Not much but it was something.

Smiling to himself, he slid down the ladder and dusted himself off. There was a bit of dust hanging in the air and he waved his hand around, trying to get it away instead of letting it latch back onto him. He succeeded somewhat and made his way out of the barn.

A distance away he could see the tractor Mr. Kent was driving make a turn, starting on the next row and whirling up some dust. It must be rather boring, to do that all day but then...the Kent's were farmers. Maybe it was in their blood...or they simply enjoyed it. There were people who didn't like running and yet here Wally was, living to run.

He actually watched the machines progress for a few minutes and enjoyed the cool air on his skin and in his hair, the barn providing him with a long shadow as the wind seemed to prepare for the rain. At this point he was fairly sure that there would be rain.

Hopefully not bad enough that it would destroy any of the land.

He turned and made his way around the house and into it, bypassing the ground floor and going straight up to their room. Again he gently knocked on the door and opened it to see Bruce...not being there. Huh.

Confused he glanced farther into the room as if the other could have hid from him in there. Sure, there was the closet but he seriously doubted that Bruce would opt for that one. What with the stale smell and clothes.

"Mhh," he hummed to himself and figured that Bruce could be downstairs. Or in the bathroom. That seemed more likely as he assumed that the other would have tried to catch him, should he have seen him pass downstairs.

"Everything alright?"

Startled, Wally turned around and proceeded to hit his foot on the dresser right beside the door. He gave a shout, immediately pulled his leg away and tried to glance down at his toe, to see if everything was alright as the pain already began to fade. Only to lose balance and almost fall on the dresser, practically hanging on there for dear life, instead of just letting himself fall to the floor.

Shock fading away, Wally looked up at Bruce who still just stood there, right outside the room with both eyebrows raised.

"I suppose that's answer enough." Bruce smiled lightly and stepped close enough to grab Wally underneath his arms to help him up on his feet. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Wally's face grew a bit warm as Bruce let go of him and he straightened his clothes. "Yeah, no. I mean, yes but it's gone already. You can't just sneak up on me like that!"

"I didn't even try to sneak around, I walked perfectly normal."

"Then you walk awfully quietly for someone of your stature!"

"Years of training." Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "Is this about me being _heavy_, again?"

"Would you _stop_?! You know what I meant! Even back then, I'm sure!" His face now properly red, Wally crossed his arms to show how he felt about that. He really hadn't meant it in any derogatory way. As if anyone would mind the way Bruce's body looked!

He could _feel_ his blush spreading to his ears.

Bruce leveled him with an odd look but didn't really go into that topic again. Instead he seemed to egg Wally on even more. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Yeah, right. As if."

"I guess not right now but I'm sure I could pay you." Bruce grinned.

The noises that left Wally could only be described as sputtering around. He didn't even know what to say to _that_. Had Bruce's brain turned to mush during the fever? "What the...are you serious?! No wait, don't answer that. How about we just….not. No pennies, no thoughts."

He meant to say more but Bruce just tilted his head to the side and walked over to the bed, sitting down at the edge of it.

"I'm sorry," Bruce smiled, probably not at all feeling sorry for anything. Well, maybe for startling Wally and the toe that got hurt in the midst of it all. Both ended up not saying anything. At least for a little while.

Bruce was kind enough to change the topic. "Did you manage your row on the field?"

"Almost, I left a tiny bit for tomorrow. No idea why, it just happened," Wally shrugged, glad for the change of topic. "How are you? Not too bored I hope?"

"Nh, a bit bored but I will manage. It's not so different to Alfred keeping me home," Bruce admitted. He sat fully on the bed and leaned back on the wall again, leaving enough room for Wally to sit down on the bed as well, just like earlier.

Wally took him up on the silent offer and sat with crossed legs at the end of the bed, a bit of distance between them. It almost felt like hanging out with Bruce just because they felt like it. It was so..domestic.

Which is exactly why he wanted to talk about their plan a bit more. They should act soon. The more time they left the Lords the more they could prepare. All the while they sat there twirling their thumbs and being all chummy with each other (which wasn't unwelcome but _still_). But with Bruce's..._reluctance_ about the topic, Wally feared to destroy the peaceful moment.

But needs must and what they must do was _leave_. Bruce seemed well enough, or would be well enough by the time they enacted their plan, to participate in the fight.

At least Bruce was well enough to talk about it, Wally decided.

"So…," he slowly began, trying to bridge over to that topic gently.

"So?" Bruce asked. This time there was no book in Bruce's lap, but then again he didn't sit there cross legged like Wally did. Somehow that made him all the more conscious of that fact.

"The..plan..," so much for doing it gently, though Bruce just gave him a rather neutral look anyway. "We really should...you know, talk about the details. And then act? Soon?"

"Alright." There was a nod and a shuffle and then Bruce sat more or less right in front of Wally, giving him his full attention. "Details then." And he said it in such a way that he clearly wanted to hear details from Wally. Who could only gape at him.

Was Bruce okay? Sure, Wally had more or less come up with the overall shape of the plan but he had assumed that Bruce would flesh it out. He _was_ the tactician between the two of them after all.

"Me?" His voice was thin and he quickly cleared his throat once he noticed.

Bruce gave a decisive nod. "Yes. You were right, earlier." Wally decided that the heat in his face was not a blush. "It's also true what I said. Whatever I do Lord Batman will anticipate as well and that's where you come in. You provided the foundation of the plan and now I want to hear in between steps of the plan. I can work with that because the initial idea would come from you and whatever you might do...he _could _anticipate it but he will have a harder time doing so. So," Bruce nodded once more and patted Wally's knee, derailing any kind of _professional _thought. "Details," Bruce finished and pulled his hand back.

Right. Details. Not the warm space on his knee where Bruce had touched him. Details. About their escape. _Details_.

Was Bruce doing that on purpose? Trying to see if Wally could think under _duress_?! If so then that was a real dick move. If not...well…

_Details._

"Right, ah...we...we get in. Obviously." How did plans work again? Besides doing the thing you wanted to do?

"Obviously," Bruce echoed with a nod. "How?"

"I...how? Ah..we...we get in. On foot. I suppose. Like..my feet. I can bypass safety measures. With ah...with you I won't be able to go just as fast...I could leave you outside the cave and you follow on your own? I suppose he won't exactly expect us to split up."

"Or he will expect it because we think he won't expect it."

Wally groaned and briefly massaged the bridge of his nose. "Technically you could say that about every little thing I'm about to come up with. So we have to go with one. Lord Batman..._you_ as well." Bruce scowled at him at the comparison. Rather impressively. "He can prepare for many things," Wally pressed on. "He could prepare for every single choice I could and would probably make and keep it in some file but in the end... I'm fast. In the end I'll stand there before him and I'll give him a run for his money. And don't...don't think I'm making the mistake of underestimating you or him or any Batman."

Bruce's scowl didn't let up in any way. Whether it was from being compared or because Wally made it sound so easy to defeat him. Though Wally didn't mean to sound like that or to brag or seem superior. All he knew was, at the end of the day Bruce was a really impressive man but still bound to the laws of physics and common rules. Which meant that he was _slow_.

"I won't claim to keep him tied up forever. That's what _you're _for. You're good at getting out of troubles, of situations." Except this one but he didn't want to rub it in. "Whatever way he could escape you can think about and I will tie him up accordingly. So yes. We get in. Easy as that."

"And if Lord Superman is there? In the cave?"

"If...if he's there then...depending if you follow on foot you could sneak up on us, with the Kryptonite. Which should work out fine enough. With the Kryptonite Lord Superman can be bound just as easily. And then..then we figure the portal out and leave."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It doesn't have to be complicated. We could turn this over and over but in the end we want one thing and...and we go against two very powerful people within their own rights. We have to utilize what we have and what we have is speed. It's the only way I can work with you. There is literally nothing else I could contribute."

Bruce opened his mouth to say something but Wally hastily went on. "A joke won't do it this time. Lord Batman will probably anticipate me as a distraction so the attack has to come from me. He...he knows that you don't want me close to him." Heck, even Wally had noticed that and he had had thought that Lord Batman wasn't so bad. Not up until they didn't let them leave.

Then again it was rather hard to miss, after the way Bruce had shut him down the first time they had talked about making a plan. He'd have to be rather dense to not get it after such a display.

He had just assumed that Bruce, as the strategist that he was, would have used that as well. Would have sent Wally in to distract Lord Batman with some sweet talking of whatever that man wanted to hear from him and attack. But it had become clear quite quickly that that wasn't the case.

Wally just wouldn't rule it out himself. Like he had said, speed was his thing. And when he had an entire second to think things over and decide sweet talking was the best option during a situation to safe them? Then he would do that. No matter how awkward that would go.

There was a heavy sigh as Bruce closed his eyes. He squared his shoulders, as if to prepare himself for a fight and Wally instinctively mimicked him, doing the same. Wally was ready to defend his plan as long as Bruce wasn't offering something better.

"I haven't seen much of the Batcave's current design when we were there," Bruce began and stared at Wally in a very Batman like way. Apparently Bats had entered the building, at last (That Bruce could keep them so separate was kinda scary). "But I can give you some tips of what I would use and what you could look out for. I'd prefer for us to surprise him together but you're right, you're faster without me. So you'll leave me at the entrance, where I theorize no surveillance will pick us up and then go in while I follow."

What? Wally's squared shoulders slowly slumped as the fight left him. Was Bruce...was _any _of this happening? Or was _he_ having the fever dream for some reason? Bats never gave away so much control over a mission or a plan. Not since they were working together. And now he just accepted it?

Would Bruce feel mocked if Wally where to check his fever? Better not to find that out. Bruce looked serious enough after all that scowling…

"For..For real?" Wally finally found his voice, the hair of his neck standing up for a few seconds.

Slowly Bruce nodded and his face wasn't as set in stone as a second ago, it was softer. "Have a little more faith in you. You make it sound simple but as you said..sometimes simple might just work out." And it wasn't that simple anyway. There were just too many variables to call it simple. They'd have to be stupid to call it that way.

Slowly Wally allowed a small smile to appear and he nodded. "Okay…" If Bruce believed his plan could work then...it had to work. Right? "Thank you," he added as an afterthought and Bruce smiled himself too, just as small yet encouraging.

"No need. You did it all yourself. I'm sorry I wasn't much of a help."

But Wally shook his head. "Clearly it was the fever," he smiled as he provided an easy explanation for anything. Though he briefly wondered how Bats would handle it in his report. Would he be honest about it? Emotions rarely had a place in the reports with Bruce preferring facts over anything else. Would Bruce admit that he had let insecurities rule him?

Bruce's smile stayed, even when he too shook his head. "That's kind of you but we both know that isn't the case. Not to such an extent. At least not today."

Wally hesitated briefly but dared himself to do the same thing Bruce had done and gently patted the other's knee, only that the movement was kind of robotic and he pulled his hand away as if burned. He sure hoped it didn't show too much how nervous that had made him. "It's still fine. It happens...happens to the best of us." Again there was blood underneath his cheeks due to the incredulous yet kind of delighted look Bruce gave him. If a small, pleased smile could be called delightful.

The important thing was he hadn't lost his hand. Nor his head for making a stupid plan that apparently wasn't that stupid. Then again storming in and doing your thing was an age-old plan people had utilized quite often and still did, he couldn't have been too far off with that one.

"When...ah…," Wally cleared his throat, past his hot face. "When do you propose we do it? The..The _plan_ I mean." Jesus. If Bruce's eyebrows could climb any higher Wally would combust right on this bed because of sheer teasing and Bruce wasn't _even saying anything_.

Thankfully what Bruce was saying was a direct reply to his real question, not the one when the mind was in the gutter (not that there _would_ be a reply to that).

"I would like to be as well as I can be but you're also right to press on. I would say give me one more day, maybe two. And then we will act. So for now I'd say...go get something to eat. Do you want another of those tablets?"

The last question threw Wally somewhat off since he had been so focused on the suddenly available time frame. But...given that they would be here no more than two more days...they wouldn't have to ration it so much.

Which was why he inclined his head. "If you think it's okay? I don't feel too bad right now." He felt incredibly hungry and exhaustion was slowly making his arms heavy as the day went on after everything he had done but all in all he felt alright. Pleasantly tired beside the constant ache in his stomach. He ached for the Watchtower food and the available amount there.

"I think so yes. Your face looks a little gaunt already." Bruce said as he moved off the bed and got the Batsuit belt from underneath their suits. He expertly opened one of the little compartments and retrieved one of the white tablets to offer it to Wally who readily took it.

How Bruce knew what was where on that belt was a mystery to him. The entirety of it, besides the clasp that held it together, looked the same to him.

The tablet was gone within the second and Wally's attention was drawn to a strange noise coming from Bruce, who looked rather amused at him. Had..had Bruce _snickered_? Was the world ending?

"You complain about me dry swallowing medicine but you do it as well?"

Wally blinked a few times before he gave a decisive huff and crossed his arms. "That's hardly the same thing."

"How is it not? Just because one of them isn't prescribed…"

"But it's not. It isn't anywhere near the size of those pills you swallowed and it feels more like one of those mints anyway. Nowhere near pills and capsules or whatever you want to call it."

Bruce threw him a sceptic look. Whatever he decided to take form that, he shook his head and moved back to the bed to sit down on it. "Alright. I will take your word for it since I haven't tried them myself."

"How did you test them, then?" It was strange, this easy acceptance of what Wally was saying. It wasn't as if the League was constantly denying him but..he was usually the last go-to person when it came to plan and the likes. The kid of the group, more or less. That Bruce thought of him in such a way to take his word for it? Best not to think about it or his thoughts would just spiral down or up or in any other direction.

Bruce settled back on the bed but still mimicked Wally's position, as if they still had to give each other the fullest attention due to planning. Just that they wasn't any planning needed to be done anymore…

"Before I actually made them I input a program with the data to see what would work best. After that worked out well, as in the program said I could actually make tablets out of the input ingredients, I pulled up some recordings of your tests. It wasn't that easy but I picked certain information that let me simulate the way your body burns food and tested that once again." Bruce explained. It sounded as if that was nothing to Bruce, when it really was quite the feat. "Of course I would have never given you one if I wasn't a hundred percent certain that it would be harmless. The worst that could have happened was that your body would burn through it too quickly. I'm sure I could have put _too much_ in there and even then, the worst scenario would have been that you would have felt queasy for maybe a second I suppose." Still he sounded almost apologetic about it. That Wally might have felt queasy due to something he gave him.

However Wally didn't mind. He knew his body was complicated to predict, to know how much he burned and used up. Mostly it depended on his activity but even if he were to lie down for an entire day, even then his body would probably demand a ridiculous amount of food. There really was no appeasing it.

"It's really remarkable," Wally smiled, thankful that Bruce had even thought about something like that. Most people just...didn't. They didn't think much about Wally or what he might struggle with. Even close friends. Not that he was angry or sad about it because of that, he perfectly understood. But...that made it even more amazing to him, to know that Bruce cared enough to go to such lengths. Or maybe he was just such a control freak about the League...but even then it was something Wally profited from.

Maybe they could work on the tablet after this was over. And if it wasn't too expensive to make. Then again… "Didn't you say it might make problems when used for a longer time?"

"I did," even when Bruce had had a high fever during that time."

"How do you figure? Or what could happen? I do feel a slight difference when I take it but it's more like a...mhh..boost? Like I feel just a tiny bit more alert. As if I ate just enough to notice an improvement." Which would be a lot food. It was difficult enough to always stay at a current level.

Bruce scratched the light stubble on his chin and...how had Wally not noticed that before? But now that he heard and saw Bruce scratch it he felt like staring at it and subsequently his mouth. It took some exercise in control to look back at Bruce's eyes.

"I would compare it with a drug but only because the effect that I'm aiming for comes the closest. You said it yourself," Bruce nodded in his direction. "You feel better after one. It's just this..sudden amount of nutrients that your body is probably all too eager to get to, which is fine. Especially during a time like this. But as any body, even if there are some new rules for yours, you still adhere to some common ones. Just at a faster or slower rate, depending how your body fights certain effects. In this case my _theory_ is that your body might get used to this effect. To the sudden availability of such an amount and that you might feel more tired after a long-term use of those tablets and then suddenly stop. We have quite the work ahead of us, once we get home."

Great. The one thing that could help him was also actually kinda a drug. "You mean us sitting down and having a talk. As in all of us, the other's and us." Not the two of them. That would..imply things.

"Not only that. We will have to put you through a few tests to make sure everything is alright. I would hate to have tampered with anything and made you accidentally ill."

"Well, if it's any consolation I don't feel ill. I feel as fine as I can be at these circumstances. Though I could do with a meal soon enough," Wally admitted with a nod. Bruce had said so himself before. "Do you want to eat with us tonight? Or if you don't want to be alone I could eat with you up here." He knew he himself would be lonely up here. And bored.

Bruce smiled at him again and even gave a small nod. "I'll go downstairs with you. It's always good to know your surroundings."

Wally suspected that Bruce wanted to know what he was up against, now that he was better again. That was fine with him since Bruce being up and about only meant that they could act soon. And that Bruce was fine, which was one of the main reasons. That his friends were alright and healthy.

"Perfect," Wally smiled too and stood up to stretch his much used muscles. "If it's all the same to you then I'll go take a quick shower and meet you downstairs?" He must smell like sweat and dust but Bruce hadn't complained so far. Thankfully.

"Sure," Bruce nodded as Wally made to leave the room.

With a smile and a wave of his hand he left Bruce to his own devices again and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He hadn't brought any fresh clothes but he figured that he could quickly snatch a fresh shirt on his way down but keep the pants. They would just get dirty again, when he continued his work out on the field. Though maybe he would change into another set for bed since he didn't want to dirty it. Or annoy Bruce with dust in the bed.

If Bruce wanted to share the bed again, that was. What with the fever gone.

Oh well, the floor would suffice as well.

He was naked and under the shower in record time, letting the hot water wash over his much used back muscles. Collecting wheat berries made him sit in one position for so long, it was no wonder that even his body felt weary after a while, despite the constant healing.

The water itself didn't come off too dirty as the dust on his skin and in his hair was rather light and white and washed off easily enough. Wally hummed to himself a bit while he washed his skin and hair, watching the skin get red from the friction and heat only to turn back to the usual pink when it healed just as fast. The shower itself didn't take too long and soon enough he rubbed himself dry, even his hair to a certain degree, and shook out his pants over the shower somewhat.

Some dust and dirt landed in it that he made sure to wash away, before patting his pants some more. Only after that did he put them on again, pulling the belt tight like before. It was a wonder he hadn't already worn a hole into those pants. The loose material just screamed friction and a tripping hazard but here he was, right as rain.

Grabbing the used shirt after stepping back into his boots, Wally moved back to their room to pick a fresh one out. He was just about to open the door when it opened from the inside, making him almost smack into Bruce's chest.

"Oh! Uh hey!" He smiled as he took a step back to avoid any actual...smacking. _Weird thoughts their Walls_. "I thought you went downstairs already."

"You were faster than expected." Bruce murmured but glanced from Wally's face down to his torso, blinking a few times.

It made Wally suddenly aware of his state of dress (never mind that he had seen Bruce just the same way before) and moved to hold the shirt in front of him, only to stop. It was only fair that he wouldn't hide. Which probably looked like a weird spasm on his part, one he hoped Bruce hadn't really noticed.

"Everything alright?"

Why was Bruce so good at noticing things?!

"Uh..yeah just...getting a fresh shirt," Wally offered and held the shirt in his hand up and pointed past Bruce so that the other might just let him through.

Bruce stood there for a few more (awkward) seconds before stepping into the room again to let Wally through. Wally took the opportunity and immediately stood before the dresser, looking through the shirts before picking one that he quickly threw over. He could feel Bruce's eyes the entire time and he was glad that the shirt covered any blushing that was happening underneath.

"Soooo…," Wally began and turned around, he threw the used shirt beside the chair with their suits on. "Wanna go down now?"

Bruce gave a nod and moved out of the room. Wally followed immediately, staring at Bruce's back as they went down. This was the first time that Bruce was moving through the house, if they didn't count the bathroom, and in the different light he seemed almost at home. As if he was the owner of this house and Wally was a guest. The only thing missing now was Alfred, unless he switched Alfred out with Martha.

Once down the stairs, Wally overtook Bruce and moved to the kitchen where he could hear someone move around. Just as predicted it was Martha.

"Hey Martha," he smiled up at her and she greeted him with an equally bright smile.

"Hello Wally, Bruce," she greeted both of them while turning back to her pan.

Wally pointed Bruce to the table while he looked around. "Anything you need help with?" By now he knew that it wasn't very likely of her to say yes to any kind of help in the kitchen, but he wanted to try anyway. It was the least he could do for the shelter they got.

"Not really," she said and flipped the meat in the pan. "Unless you want to slice the cooked potatoes. But they're still hot."

Score! There was something to do. Wally immediately stood in front of the pot with the cooked potatoes, looking for a knife that he could use. When he didn't find one he moved to the drawer with the cutlery that he had seen while doing the dishes in the morning. There he found a knife while Martha put a bowl beside the pot that he could use. He gave her a cheeky smile when she didn't say anything about him knowing where the cutlery is.

He began to peel the potatoes and cut them into slices that he let fall into the fresh bowl, not really minding the heat that burned his fingers. Instead he began a little small talk because that was what he was best at.

"How was your trip to the grocery store?"

"It was well enough, thank you. No one was suspicious about anything, if you're worried about that."

"I wasn't but thanks," Wally smiled. He really hadn't been worried about it as he had been sure that no one had seen him come here.

"Did you change your mind about farm work?"

At that Wally gave an amused chuckle while he could hear Bruce shuffle around in the background. "It became a tad bit boring towards the end. But that wouldn't keep me from doing my work." What came from behind him was _definitely_ a faked cough to cover up some laughing, so he glanced back. "What?"

"If only this work ethic would extent to monitor duty as well," Bruce deadpanned but the corner of his mouth was twitching while Wally immediately made a face. Even Martha laughed at him.

"Monitor duty is boring in a different way!" Wally scoffed and pointily turned back to his potatoes. "At least on the farm I can use my speed. All I can do during monitor duty is race back and forth between the monitoring room and the kitchen. That's not very exciting."

"It's not meant to be exciting."

"That makes it even worse! At least let me play some games."

"That defeats the purpose," Bruce argued but didn't sound stern, this was more friendly banter instead of a real lecture about monitor duty. "You're meant to watch the monitors."

Wally rolled his eyes and placed the knife to the side once he was done and washed his hands. "Which I can do a hundred times within a second. I'm sure I can do so while playing a game. They're equally slow. Just let me prove it once!"

"Mhh, I will think about it."

Wally almost splashed some water into his face at that and quickly turned off the faucet to look at Bruce. Despite the not lecture he had expected an outright 'No' to the idea instead of a maybe but here he was. He didn't have much to say to that and he didn't really want to ask if Bruce was joking or not. It was better to let that sit between them, he might use it later to his advantage once monitor duty rolled around again! Instead he went to dry his hands and meant to ask Martha what to do next but she had already moved on to work with the sliced potatoes, making a salad with them. She didn't need him too badly, so he moved around to set the table from what he could see would be needed.

"Uh will Mr. Kent be here too? Or does he work late out on the field?"

Martha glanced back at the table and shook her head. "I think he will come in a bit later."

With a nod Wally didn't put a plate down for him. At the same time Martha put the pan and the bowl of potato salad in the middle of the table, along with some filled glasses of water. They moved on to more small talk after that as Martha didn't seem to dare or at least think about asking about their plans. Wally wondered why that was but was also grateful enough all the same. Maybe she understood that it might make him suspicious if she were asking too much, though...he did trust her. He wouldn't have minded at all.

Maybe it was because Bruce was there. He didn't know how much these two had talked before when she had gone upstairs but it could be that she was doing that for the other's sake. He was sure that even she knew how paranoid a Batman could be, it wouldn't surprise him too much.

As usual Wally was done with two plates seconds after starting but he refused a third one. He really didn't want to eat all their food, despite the claim that the Kent's didn't mind at all (on Martha's behalf. Apparently she spoke for her husband as well, or at least made the decision for him to not mind). But Wally could be stubborn and so there was no third plate.

Though Bruce seemed to have decided to be stubborn as well and did put some of his plate on Wally's empty one and all Wally received was a shrug when he looked confused at him.

That went on for most of the meal until no one was eating anything anymore and a comfortable silence had spread over them. In the distance they could hear the tractor coming slowly closer. It sounded like Mr. Kent was also done for the day and ready to come back home.

Wally took that as his cue to stand up and collect the used plates, much to Martha's complaints, and put them into the sink. He didn't dare to actually wash them. What if Martha resorted to a slap on the shoulder! Done with that, he gave her a small grin and a mock salute before he wished her a nice evening and asked Bruce if they wanted to go back upstairs.

Bruce seemed just as weary as Wally felt because after a short confirmation both of them moved upstairs. Back in their room Bruce went for the bed while Wally stood right in front of the closed door and stretched himself out, giving a low groan as he did so. Pleased with the stretch he gave a relieved sigh and relaxed again.

"You want the bed for yourself tonight?" Wally asked in good spirits and moved to the window to close the curtains. If the tractor this morning was a usual thing then they would have a rather unique alarm set for them.

"Don't start that again," Bruce scoffed and took the started book with him as he sat leaning back against the headboard. He did so in a way that already provided space for Wally to lie down.

Wally glanced at the free space before shaking his head. "Nh, guess I won't then." No need to fight because of that and the bed would be nicer than the floor.

He shrugged, more for himself than Bruce, toed off his boots and lied down in the space that was offered after Bruce turned the tiny lamp on the bed stand on. He hadn't even noticed that one before, having had no use for it.

It seemed that Bruce intended to read for a bit, which was fine by him. Wally didn't mind talking to Bruce, unless there was a Batglare involved, but he was tired and lying his head on the soft pillow was enough to make his eyes heavy.

There was some more shuffling and then the blanket was put over him as Bruce settled back against the headrest again. Wally gave a pleased sigh, lying on his stomach with his head facing the room. It would just be plain awkward to stare at Bruce while he tried to fall asleep and he imagined that Bruce wouldn't want to be stared at all the time either.

"If I snore just kick me," Wally mumbled into the pillow, eyes already closed. He knew that he wasn't a snorer but better safe than sorry. At least then he would know why Bruce would kick him.

There was the faint sound of a page being turned over. "You don't snore. Just go to sleep Wally." Bruce must have been smiling, if his voice was any inclination.

"Don't need to tell me twice." With a huff, Wally moved a bit some more, finding a position that was the most comfortable with the given space. Having settled, Wally let his whole body relax and sink into the bed and doze off.

He distinctly remembered wishing Bruce a "Good Night" but wasn't so sure about the reply since he had drifted off at that point.


	9. Chapter 9

Wally might have slept through the entire night if it hadn't been for a strange loud noise in the distance that startled him awake. His entire body entered flight mode and he meant to throw himself out of the bed, only for arms around his upper body to hold him in place, one hand clamped around his mouth.

If he had had more space to gain momentum he might have taken Bruce down to the floor with him.

Instead he was suddenly wide awake in the dark room, aware of Bruce practically spooning him and keeping his mouth shut while making soothing noises.

"Slow your heart down, stay calm," Bruce murmured in a pressing way as if they were about to face an enemy. Which didn't make things any better.

For Wally it felt as if his heart was in his throat and he was supposed to calm _that_ down?! He made to mouth the question "What?" but it came out muffled under Bruce's hand. He wanted to stay calm and it would definitely help if he knew what was happening. What had been that noise? It sure as hell hadn't been the tractor.

Bruce made another soothing noise right beside his ear, causing a shiver to go down his back, and loosened the hand over Wally's mouth. "I believe that was Lord Superman," Bruce murmured and wound his now free arm back around Wally's middle.

Wally immediately tensed up some more and meant to move a leg but discovered that Bruce also kept their movement restricted with his own. "Lord...Lord Superman?" Wally echoed nervously and listened for another second until realization hit him. "That was the sound barrier."

"Yes," Bruce confirmed with a nod and at last loosened his legs around Wally's. Wally immediately stretched. "It could have been a coincidence...or he found us."

"Why..why didn't he get to us then…" Lord Superman had been so vicious, why would he just fly over here and then give his position away?

"I don't know," Bruce admitted. "Maybe he still respects his parents enough. Maybe it's a trap."

Wally blinked into the dark. "A trap?...We wouldn't follow him…"

"No. But he could guide us somewhere. Hound us away from here and out into the open. Force us to move."

"Are we...will we move now?" It obviously wasn't safe anymore. If Lord Superman really knew they were there and they had no reason to believe otherwise. As good as Wally was at keeping his body functions at a certain speed, there was no way he did that during sleep. Maybe it wasn't even his body giving them away. Lord Superman would immediately know something was up because there were four people instead of two here. Either by hearing it or seeing it directly.

They wouldn't be able to stay here. They had managed little over an entire day, nothing more. Where else could they go to?

"Do you..do you think he flew by by chance or did Lord Batman somehow figure it out?" Wally went on when Bruce didn't answer right away.

"We would have to ask Martha about that," Bruce said. "If Lord Superman tends to fly by or avoid this area. There is no reason that Lord Batman would have considered the Kent's as our hideout, unless…," Bruce trailed off and tightened his arms around Wally.

"Unless?" Wally prompted him to go on, one of his own hands over Bruce's arm, not sure what the sudden clinginess meant.

"Unless," Bruce started again only to seemingly lose the thought. "There is not much he could track us with. Did you use your speed above that of sound?" Wally immediately shook his head, he had stayed way below that. "Okay good," he could feel Bruce nod against the back of his head. "And the communicator? I think I said to keep it turned off."

"I...Bruce I kept it turned off but you also said I should destroy it but I..I forgot, I'm sorry!" He had been so occupied with worrying about their situation and stressing about how the Kent's might react that he had forgotten about it. Because of that they had found them. His ideas had worked too well since they had spent the night underneath that tree. _Of course_ he would fuck it up somehow.

"Wally-"

"No, just..lemme get up. _Let go_!" Wally pushed away from Bruce, trying to wiggle out of the other's hold and proceeded to almost fall out of the bed when Bruce did let go. One of his legs was kept tangled up in the blanket while he landed on his other leg. He had to do a turn before he could free his leg and stumble away from the bed, panting for reasons that had nothing to do with stamina.

"Wally calm down," Bruce pressed and got up himself, trying to stop Wally's frantic movements. Though Wally didn't care, he simply evaded whatever Bruce intended to initiate and kept moving left and right, even looking out between the curtains for one brief second.

He scoffed. "Calm down?! I tried to be so careful, tried to keep us safe and I can't even do the _one thing_ you ask me to do! This is all my f- _uff_." His desperation was cut off when he had stepped right into the chair while trying to evade Bruce once more. There was enough force behind his sidestepping that he toppled the chair over, not a difficult thing with the added weight of their suits, and followed straight after, landing with his stomach straight over one of the legs of the chair.

He rolled away from it with a groan and hugged his own stomach while curling up. The pain was already fading, thankfully.

"Calm down," Bruce started again, having crouched down beside Wally and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We can't know for certain if it was the communicator. We don't know anything about Lord Superman's routine or if either of these two had considered us being here on their own. It doesn't have to be your fault. In fact-"

"But it _could_ be my fault," Wally murmured as he slowly relaxed his hold over his stomach and tentatively felt around before himself to assert where the chair was now lying. He didn't need to lose an eye on top of everything.

"_In fact_ **_nothing _**of this is your fault. Not any of this, do you hear me? You didn't choose to be here, trapped in a dimension that isn't your own." Bruce sounded firm as he gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "You did your best with what was possible. If you haven't come up with this we might already be back at the Batcave for different reasons….are you okay?" The last bit was asked softer than the words before and Wally could feel Bruce leaning slightly over to look at his face despite the darkness.

He stayed where he was while staring at one of the chair's legs, which he only knew was there because he was still holding on to it after having felt it out. It was a few centimeters away from his face.

Was he okay? One might argue about that seeing how he would much rather just continue to lie there and not get up. The Lords knew where they were, Lord Superman had to be stupid if he didn't by now, and there was nothing they could do. No. No he wasn't okay. He was hungry and tired and _sorry_ for giving their position away. Why couldn't Lord Batman have an obsession with Wonder Woman or something? At least she could just punch him and Lord Superman in the face and be done with it.

"Wally?" The hand moved from his shoulder to his face, imitating the way Wally had felt for Bruce's fever before.

"'m fine," Wally murmured and put the hand that had been holding onto the chair's leg over his own face, pushing Bruce's hand away. "What do we do now? We can't just sit and wait." Even if it was all Wally felt like doing now but that was just the way of a superhero. You pushed on even when all you wanted to do was lie down and stop. What was the point anyway? Lord Batman would be prepared now, would be waiting for them.

The hand didn't stay too far from his face, instead it gently carded through Wally's hair and...he would be lying if that didn't calm him down a little bit.

"We could attack now," Bruce offered in a quiet voice, now that things really had calmed down. "He might suspect that we have a plan but that it will take more time. He might not see us coming so soon. If this is something _you _would do."

Wally gave a slightly bitter laugh. "Because everything until now worked out _so well_."

"Don't you see?" Bruce asked. "It was a variable you couldn't have accounted for, but yes, your plan worked out well so far and I have faith that it will continue to do so. Don't mistake things outside of your control as your failures."

There was actual pressure behind his eyes and Wally blinked rapidly, glad for the darkness, to dispel the feeling. No need to get emotional over a simple compliment...or Batman having faith in him.

"Come, get up," Bruce nudged his shoulder and even took hold of his arm to help him up, to which Wally complied. A second later he was back on his feet and stepping away from the chair that was currently a tripping hazard. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Wally waved his hand, accidentally slapping Bruce's chest. "Ah sorry. No. I mean, it stopped hurting, don't worry." He was even proud to note that there wasn't a _hint_ of sniffling behind his words. "So...so you want to move now? Do _you _feel well enough?"

Making a noise of confirmation, Bruce left him where he stood and walked around the toppled over chair to the bed stand. With a simple movement the room was bathed in the low light of the small lamp and still, Wally had to blink a few times to see properly again. He glanced to the chair, their suits strewn across the floor with his boots buried underneath there somewhere.

Having nothing better to do than to stand there, Wally lifted the chair and placed it back on its legs before going for the suits. Bruce remained quiet as Wally sorted through both of their things. It wasn't much but his own suit had somehow stuck to Bruce's. One of the Bats' gloves fell out of his suit. How was that even possible? They had laid it all on top of everything.

He shook his head and threw Bruce's suit and cape over the back of the chair and the rest on the chair itself. "So…," Wally began and swallowed nervously. "Do we like...get into the suits and move?"

"If that's what you want to do?"

Right. It was his impulsiveness and 'planning' that they needed. What would he do? No, wrong. What was he going to do? Should they move? He felt more like hiding some more but where else could they go? It was bad enough that they had...endangered the Kent's that way and he figured they were only safe from any kind of retribution _because _they were Lord Superman's parents.

"I...yes. Let's move. Wherever Lord Superman flew to, I'm sure acting fast will put them off their game somewhat. Just be ready for the Kryptonite." But he was sure Bruce would have it within reach this time. Bruce nodded and moved for his suit while Wally gathered his boots, it was beyond him how he managed to put them in two different places.

He didn't think too much about it and got out of his pants to get into his suit. He was about to put one of his hands in after he had done the legs, when Bruce suddenly stood close again, already in the Batsuit minus the gloves, boots and cape.

"You got hurt too?" Bruce asked and bent towards Wally's leg where the suit was torn open, ready to inspect it further. "When?"

Wally stared down at Bruce's head and slowly continued to get into his suit with his hands. The thin material already made him feel half naked so close to the other and after the way too big clothes he had borrowed. "Uh..back..back when you got hurt. But it's already healed. Don't worry. The suit is the only collateral damage done here. I didn't even notice it right away, that's how small it was."

He had meant it to be assuring but Bruce still looked rather peeved about it. Wally could feel the other's thumb play with the slightly frayed edges of the suit, gracing against his leg and causing a shiver to go up his spine, before Bruce drew back and stood up straight again. Towering. "You should have said something. That you were injured."

Wally couldn't help but scoff. "It's not like I planned to hide it. I noticed it after you fell asleep or unconscious or whatever you did back then. By then it was already almost healed. What would you have me do? Scratch at it to show you a real wound?"

Instead of a reply Bruce only rolled his eyes and turned back to put on the rest of his suit, showing Wally his back.

_Great_.

The suits were back on and _Bats_ was his old charming self. Was that how it was to meet Bruce Wayne? A charming tease that got you all confused only to leave? Quite frankly, Wally could live without that. Who cared about easy banter and teasing and charming handsome assholes. It wasn't as if he had done something wrong.

"I'll tell Martha that we leave," Wally announced as he put on his boots, hopping on one leg while putting on the other to get faster to the door.

"Wally-" He could hear Bruce start but Wally was already out of the door, both boots on and in front of the door that was the Kent's bedroom. He hadn't even properly lifted his hand to knock when the door opened and Martha, dressed in pajamas and a dressing gown, pushed him slightly away and closed the door behind her. Seeing her like this made him remember how late (early?) it actually was.

Suddenly he felt bad for standing here, a faint blush on his face.

"I'm sorry but-"

"It's alright, I heard him too," Martha said with a wistful look on her face and still, despite the fact that her wayward son had been so close she still offered him a small smile.

Wally wasn't quite that strong, so he gave a heavy sigh and looked at her with a sad expression. "Only that it's not…I wish it were different but…" He sighed some more, fishing for the right words but he couldn't find them. "You're...what you did, I can't thank you enough. I wish I could..I dunno, do the laundry or work some more on the field but we...we have to move now or…"

She nodded at him and while she kept her dressing gown closed with one hand she patted his arm with the other. "It was nice, having you here. I was a bit afraid at first but you were like a fresh breeze of wind," she said with confidence.

He didn't feel like a fresh breeze of air, having had to hold back with his speed. Still he managed to offer her a small smile because of that, while he could hear the door to their room slightly open.

Martha must have heard it too and turned her head in the direction to offer a nod to Bruce as well. "Stay safe and all the luck, to both of you," she focused back on Wally. "I will tell Jonathan that you left."

Glad to have that covered, Wally gently put his gloved hand on Martha's shoulder and nodded himself. It was time to go then. The longer they waited the more...what? They had no timetable and yet it felt as if they were already lagging behind. He turned away as Bruce moved out of the now dark room and made his way down the stairs and Wally followed.

Just before he made the first step down he slightly turned back. "Uh, Martha? Is it alright if I keep the boxers?" His face was burning but it felt like the right question when he heard her quiet laughter and amused "You better go now!".

Slightly grinning like the idiot he made himself to be, Wally quickly followed Bruce downstairs, mindful of not making too much noise. Together they exited the house and closed the door behind them, looking out at the night sky. The air was cool enough that Wally couldn't help but shiver. The rain would soon come down, he could smell it. He put his cowl on, it was time to do something.

Bruce made a noise as he left the porch and looked around before turning to Wally. "I would say you stay below the speed of sound, to give us a bit more time to sneak in."

Right. Serious talk now. So he nodded and followed Bruce to where he stood. "Yeah, I thought the same. But where should I leave you? Once we get there. I know how to get into the Batcave but I don't know anything about the surveillance there."

"Much of the perimeter is being guarded by various sensors," Bruce explained. "The entrance we escaped through...could you, in theory, run through there, let me go in there somewhere and go on? He won't guard the tunnel itself as strongly as the entrances on either side."

A flaw Bruce would probably correct as soon as they got home, Wally mused. He didn't say that out loud however. "I'm not sure..I'd have to considerably slow down to let go of you safely enough and pick up momentum again. If you want me to appear to having run straight through." And he really meant _considerably_. He knew that Bruce could duck and roll out of the way or use momentum like it was no one's business but his speed wasn't the same. Even he himself couldn't always successfully roll out his momentum, which was why he was so well acquainted with walls and the ground.

Bruce was quiet for a few second, probably thinking their possibilities over, until he was suddenly holding up what appeared to be a thin rope. "It's still the safest way for us to infiltrate the cave. Here."

"Oh..okay, yeah. Thanks." Wally took the rolled-up rope and pulled on it experimentally. It seemed so thin but rather sturdy. Bruce had had _that _in his belt? How had that even fit?! "Not to be weird about it but...how should I tie Lord Batman up?" Only that he was being weird about it. This was dangerously close to asking Bruce about kinky stuff in the bedroom. Best not to think about it. "I'm sure you and him are really good at escaping."

It was always amazing to see how Bruce's mood seemed to sour when put together into the same sentence as his counterpart. "Tie his hands to the front of his body, if you can spare the thought tie the ends together as well and don't let them out of their sight until I show up." At least Bruce didn't sound embarrassed about giving these kinds of things away.

He nodded along and put his arm through the rolled-up rope to carry it like a bag until he needed it. Maybe he too needed a handy multipurpose belt. "Anything else? What if Lord Superman is in the cave? I can tie Lord Batman up all I want but if he's there…"

"If he's there then you evade the both of them and serve as a distraction until I can provide another one and get the Kryptonite out. As soon as that happens you will focus back on tying Lord Batman up."

Okay. That he could do, should the need arise. He was good at being a distraction. Lord Batman would be easy and Lord Superman did seem to fall rather easy to taunting. Yeah. He could work with that.

"So...we move?" Because Bruce didn't seem to have anything to add for now even after he had asked him.

"We move. How will you carry me?" Bruce actually looked Wally over as if he were checking him out. Or judging his muscle mass. One of these things for sure.

Wally gave a useless noise and looked from his hands to Bruce. At least this time he was more or less awake and could carry some of his own weight which was always a huge difference. He also knew that Bruce preferred, whenever he actually had to be carried around, to be carried on someone's back where he could hold on himself. But...for what Bruce intended to do, to be dropped off mid-run...yeah, that wouldn't work out too well since Wally was the one who had to determine when it was safe enough.

God, maybe Bruce being fully awake wasn't such a good thing after all, now he could stare at Bruce the entire time they got to Gotham.

"We...we got uh...bridal style, potato sack...reversed piggyback?" Was it worse that Bruce's expression didn't change _once_ with these options? For Wally one just seemed worse than the other. Why did he even offer potato sack? That was the stupidest one out of all of them. And _reversed piggyback?!_ Was he _trying _to give himself a heart attack by sheer friction against that body?! Or a boner at the least inappropriate time. He should have just made decision and told Bruce but now…

"The first one seems the best for letting go of me correctly," Bruce finally decided and stepped closer to Wally.

Wally barely held back from muttering a 'thank god', relief rushing through his veins as if he had eaten something. One would think he would use his brain with all the time available in between seconds. Instead of saying anything he stepped closer as well and let Bruce put an arm over his shoulders. He waited for the right moment up until Bruce swung his leg up so that Wally could fully pull him up to his chest. He compensated for the added weight in his front with the first few steps forward.

They had passed the entire distance between the house and the street by the time Wally had Bruce safely in his arms and didn't feel like toppling over. Neither of them said anything as Wally switched to a higher gear and brought them across the land.

Again he strayed from populated areas or cities on his way back to Gotham. He even made sure to enter at the right angle, retracing his steps from the first day where they had made their hasty escape. The tunnel was as hidden as ever but Wally knew where it was well enough. He almost loathed the fact that they would do things so quickly, because he didn't even have the chance to wish Bruce good luck or anything of the sort.

Instead he slowed down where he figured the tunnel to be at its darkest and cautiously let go of Bruce whose entire body tensed up and braced itself for impact. However there was no time to check up on him as Wally speed up again, passing through the tunnel with ease.

Wally entered the cave by the time the first sound of alarm even started, with Lord Batman stepping up to his version of the Batcomputer. Whatever the man meant to do about the alarm, Wally was suddenly there and around him, putting the rope around his enemy. He made sure about the hands too, positioning them correctly before continuing to tie Lord Batman up, with the knot in the back.

By the time Lord Batman finished his step to the Batcomputer he was thoroughly tied up, the alarm was blaring and Wally stood a little away from him, leaning casually against the console, looking displeased at the man. "You might want to sit down and wait this out," he hummed and glanced at the computer for an entire second. "Though maybe you want to tell me how to turn it off. We clearly know I'm already here."

Lord Batman's eyes widened slightly, though that was the only visual reaction he gave to suddenly being incapable to move much. "Wally, I'm not-"

"I don't care what you are or aren't," Wally butted in. As if he would let Lord Batman talk him into circles. "Either tell me how to turn this alarm off or I will do it for you. And we both know how that might end up." In truth Wally didn't know how it might end but he knew one thing and that was that computers usually didn't like his speed of input. He figured the Batcomputer wouldn't be so different to that.

Whatever Lord Batman wanted to say got swallowed by the sour and almost desperate expression that he adopted. A second later he gestured with his head to the keyboard. "Type in 1-7-1-1-0-1 and confirm it with the Enter button."

Well. That was strangely cooperative. "Better be the right code…," Wally threatened underneath his breath and typed in as told and confirmed it. The alarm turned off just as fast as the last echo of the alarm faded into the distance. "That was a rather loud alarm, don't you think?"

Lord Batman apparently didn't care too much about that as he tried again whatever he wanted to say. With urgency. "Wally, we don't have much time, I'm not-"

"You're not what? At fault? Guilty? Please as if I want to hear anything you have to say!" Wally was done being nice and understanding. He wanted to go home and if it meant ignoring whatever bullshit Lord Batman wanted to preach..

"I'm _not _Lord Batman!"

_What_?

"I...what? No, wait. I don't want to hear it!" What the actual fuck?! What kind of messed up game was Lord Batman playing at? "Whatever you want to lie about, I'm-"

"He lied to you," Lord Batman whispered hastily, as if someone else might overhear. "Lord Batman has been _with you_ the entire time, don't you see?!"

"I...no, but...Bruce. Why should I believe you?" This had to be a trick. No way could both Bats' have switched places with no one noticing. Heck, when would they have had the time to do that?

Lord Batman grit his teeth. "Why shouldn't you? What if I'm telling the truth and you leave with _him_? Would you truly leave me stranded _here_?"

No. Nononono _No._ Oh god no, this couldn't be happening. What if Lord Batman was telling the truth and he had been with the real Lord Batman the whole time?! How would he find out?! How would he know?

"I...I can't, I don't know what-"

"Don't listen to him!" Bruce's voice echoed from slightly above them, perched up on a stalactite while looking down on them. "Whatever he's telling you-"

"No, _he's_ the liar! He tricked you the entire time!"

"Shut up! We never switched places! Think about it, when should we have-"

"Clearly before you were trying to leave! There was a brief period of time when-"

"No, there was never enough time to-"

"**Both of you ****_shut up!_****"** Wally yelled over both of them, his voice echoing in the wide cave as silence fell over them. The urge to pull on his own hair was rather strong but his cowl kept him from it. Instead he wrapped his arms around his stomach as if it was aching, glancing between the tied-up Batman and the one up on the stone. Only to fixate back on the one tied up.

"Alright. _You_. What's the deal with Lord Superman then, huh?" He didn't dare to look away, even though he wanted to see the other Batman's reaction to the question. Could it be possible? But then Lord Superman and the hostility didn't make much sense. Not to him anyway, but if Lord Batman could explain it…

What then?

This was the very definition of a clusterfuck and he seemed to have the honor of trying to solve it. Where exactly were Wonder Woman and her lasso when he needed them?

Although...wouldn't this dimensions lasso be somewhere? With his luck it would be unreachable and he couldn't really leave now to find it. Not with Lord Superman out there somewhere and probably coming back at some point.

He'd do this the old-fashioned way, for now.

"I blackmailed him," Lord Batman began, unaware of Wally's internal conflict. "I keep him with Kryptonite in line and told him to search for you."

Right. It was _that_ easy, huh? "What an amazing job you did. He attacked us!"

"He attacked Lord Batman." At that he tipped his head towards Bruce up on the stone, who still hadn't come down for some reason. "I told him to stop both of you from crossing through the portal. I didn't expect him to try and hurt you. Either of you. But he knows better than to injure you."

Wally scowled as he looked over at Bruce who glared daggers at Lord Batman but didn't say anything. Because he couldn't defend himself or because Wally had ordered both of them to shut up and had only addressed one of them?

"Does he know?" He finally said and looked back at the tied-up Batman. "What's keeping him from crushing your neck? Kryptonite is fun and all but you're not as fast as he is."

Lord Batman's nostrils flared. "I have my ways."

"Of course you have," Wally murmured underneath his breath. When was that not any Batmans' answer to anything? "Okay but then…then…," he grew quiet again, not sure what else to ask while two Batmen stared at him. It was rather unnerving. They didn't have some secret codeword that would make it easier. Something that they really should have had, in hindsight. Though who would have thought that they'd ever encounter counterparts?

He would just ask the dumb questions then. Those that seemed obvious but weren't. At least not to him. "Sorry...no wait, not sorry. I'm just..I'm just gonna ask what I want to ask." This was getting frustrating and confusing. "So you switched, is what you said. Why not say something then? Why not stop the others as well to sort this mess out, if _you _really are Bruce. From my dimension."

"How could I have?! Was I there when you left? I came just in time to stop you and by then I had to utilize Lord Superman to keep you from crossing over."

"Right," Wally pinched the bridge of his nose. Nothing of that made much sense to him but what did these days, with two Batmen around.. "Why not let us through then and follow us? You have the portal right here!"

"Because _he_ built it. There was no way to know if he could block it from the other side. I did what I had to do to keep you here. I couldn't account for Lord Superman to react so aggressively towards you and you managing to get away so fast."

He had to admit that that was a rather good excuse. And not helping at all. So far all he knew was that one of them had the Lord Batman suit but that was about it. But Bruce up on the stone spoke up before he could think of another question.

"You're searching for excuses." At least this Bruce sounded calm, more like the Batman he knew. Or he thought he knew. "We never switched places nor suits. You may have had a _change of heart_ but that too was a means to an end to get to Wally. You can't have him, he doesn't belong here."

But Lord Batman stared at Wally the entire time Bruce spoke. "See how desperate he is? Don't you think it strange that he wants to go with you so badly?"

Wally blinked confused between the two before replying to Lord Batman. "No..not really. I want to go home too. I think you would react the same if the roles were reversed." Maybe that was the straw he could cling to. That Lord Batman was too calm about this….right?

"Look at it differently then," Lord Batman began over Bruce's shout of protest. "Did he behave strange?"

Strange…?

No. It couldn't be.

Something on his face must have been telling enough because Lord Batman turned to glare at the Bruce up on the stalactite. "So he did show his real face," he declared. "His...fixation."

"I…," Wally began as dread settled into his stomach. Was that what it had been? Bruce's sudden faith? The teasing and easy going? Had it really been Lord Batman all the time?

Finally Bruce let himself fall from the stone and landed a good distance away. "Wally, don't listen to him. He's letting you fill in the gaps of a lie he's making up. Don't give anything away. What happened was-"

"_What happened?!"_ Lord Batman echoed with a snarl. "And what exactly _happened_? Did you touch him despite never having shown interest? Of course," he scoffed at Bruce and took in Wally's crestfallen expression, turning to a gentler but insistent tone. "Don't you see? After all this time ...after keeping a professional distance and _now_ he made a move? Here in this world?"

Bruce hadn't made a move on him, not by a long shot, but...it had been friendly banter and kinda flirting and Bruce had never done that before. Not as far as he was aware and Wally was sure he would have noticed _Batman_ making advances at some point.

He just couldn't believe it. Had he really fallen for that? Even after they had seen what happened if he and Bruce got too close he had still accepted the sudden...interest? Friendship? His heart must have moved into his throat, which was the only possible explanation for the sudden nausea he was experiencing.

He was an idiot, plain and simple. A fucking idiot.

Humiliation made his eyes burn. He never wanted Lord Batman's obsession but having Bruce's attention would have been...he was a fool.

"I'm sorry."


	10. Chapter 10

_"I'm sorry," Wally said in defeat._

Lord Batman's, _no, _the real Bruce's expression turned softer, as if to tell him it was okay while he could see the now called out Lord Batman start to move towards them, more denial on his mind.

"It's alright," tied up Bruce murmured and relaxed his shoulders, probably glad that Wally had seen through the other Batman's lie.

Wally didn't feel as relieved. He felt...what did he feel? Despite hurt and being nauseous for reasons that had nothing to do with food. "No, I'm-"

Something slammed into his body, the impact on the floor impossibly hard, while a giant hand squeezed around his throat. Wheezing, Wally forced his wet eyes open.

Lord Superman was snarling at him, pressing him into the ground until there was a telling _crack_ underneath him while he couldn't draw any more air.

Instantly he clawed at the hand around his neck and tried to kick the other but Lord Superman was hovering over him, his feet not even touching the ground, as the hand squeezed more and more _and more_ until something would have to _give_. His back was aching and his throat felt about to be snapped in two. Tears were rolling down his cheeks as he mouthed a plea for it _to stop_ but the manic look in Lord Superman's eyes didn't change.

He could hear shouting but it was oddly muffled, his fingertips slightly numb and weak with each passing second. There weren't even scratched on his attackers' skin.

His eyes were beginning to feel heavy, the pressure in his lungs became unbearable until he thought they might implode when the hand around his neck fell away and Lord Superman toppled to the floor beside him, trying to get away from something.

Not sure about what was happening, Wally drew in air desperately. He meant to roll away from Lord Superman as well but found that he couldn't do that. There was a trough with the shape of his back in the cave floor and he would actively have to get out of it to roll away.

Bruce, the _real_ one in the _wrong_ suit, knelt beside him, a worried expression on his face that quickly turned into a glare of murderous intent as it was directed at Lord Superman. "Your instructions were clear, either keep the other under control or back to your cell. I don't care," Bruce ordered, a piece of Kryptonite in his hand, which explained why Lord Superman wanted to get away.

There was a growl and something said but Wally's hearing wasn't completely back yet, the sound of rushing blood in his ears making him feel like he was stuffed in wool. But it must have been something agreeable because soon after that Lord Superman somehow got enough distance between him and the stone and went to deal with Lord Batman.

"Do you think you can sit up?" Bruce asked and simply removed Wally's cowl to check out the marks around his neck without touching them. "How does your throat feel?"

Wally swallowed a few times, wincing as it hurt. "Swallowing hurts," he croaked and briefly coughed, which hurt even more. "Not sure 'bout the damage."

"The marks around your throat are already changing color," Bruce informed him and gently tipped Wally's head to the side by the chin. "It will take around a day with the force Superman used. Just tell me if you can't get enough air, then we will have to do something."

He gave a jerky nod and took a few more deep breaths until he tried to actually sit up. Bruce's hands were immediately on his back, supporting him into an upright position and keeping him there.

Wally lifted one hand to brush the tears away from his eyes, despite the feeling of more on the way simply because of the pain in his back and throat. Still, his vision cleared up enough to see Lord Batman _not_ putting up a fight and letting a rather confused and angry Lord Superman take him to the cells where they had gotten locked away the first time.

"What…," Wally licked his lips and swallowed again but his voice still croaked. "What now? Did you...can you activate the portal?" If Lord Batman had been with him the entire time, then that meant no codes had been changed out. Right? Which meant they could go home now.

Wally didn't see the way Bruce's expression shifted to a slight grimace. "No. He must have changed it before he jumped on me. I have been working on it but my search for you took priority. Now I can actually look into it and until then…," Bruce gestured for him to try and get up. Wally followed along, with the help of Bruce as his legs shook due to the ache in his back. "Let's go up to the mansion. You look as if you could use a good meal and some rest. Did you starve yourself?"

Just standing up left Wally with a need for more air, though that only made him want to swallow more against the pressure in his throat, which in turn hurt. This sucked. "Could we...sorry but…," he trailed off and let his gloved fingertips brush over his throat. Though what he expected to happen, he didn't know.

"Of course. Come. We can talk later."

He let himself be guided to the elevator where he leaned against one of the walls with Bruce hovering nearby. The ride up to the mansion was quiet on both sides, even though so many more questions flew through Wally's mind and the only thing that kept him from asking them was the way his throat hurt.

The faint noise of the elevator stopping drew him out of his thoughts. Bruce stepped closer again and put one arm around Wally's middle and the other on his upper arm to steady him while walking. Wally would have preferred to put his arm around Bruce's shoulder for support but he didn't say anything and let Bruce guide him to one of the bedrooms on this floor instead of one upstairs. He wasn't sure if his back could handle the strain of walking up some stairs.

The room they entered was dark, the only light coming through the window where the sky was already showing a few colors of the day. Though it was still very early. He could see a big, made bed with a few more accessories around the room. Exactly what one would expect from such a room, if it were a hotel. There was even a door to the right of him that suggested it had its own bathroom.

Together they went up to the bed and with a groan Wally sat down on it, immediately hunching over to alleviate some of the pressure there.

"I know it won't do much," Bruce murmured and actually crouched down to remove Wally's boots. That was weird. "But I can look for a few painkillers you could take at once? And I'd like to look over your back before you actually rest a bit, if that's alright with you."

Wally stared at Bruce's head, even when the other was standing back up after placing both boots neatly in front of the bed a little away from them.

"Wally?"

But Wally swallowed a few more times, to brace himself for the pain. "No…," he more or less whispered. "Don't need painkillers. You can look." He didn't mean to be so short with Bruce but with each word he wanted to talk less and just sleep the pain away. Just the thought of swallowing something…

"Okay," Bruce nodded and gently tucked at Wally's cowl before drawing away. "I will look for some clothes and then at your back," he suddenly declared and was gone before Wally could even manage to acknowledge it.

A bit confused, Wally stared at the open door of the bedroom before starting to get out of his suit so that Bruce could look over the damage of his back. The movement caused by pulling his hands out of the suit sent a spark of pain up his spine and he wondered if it had been damaged beyond a bit of bruising. He just hoped it was a good thing that he could still walk on his own, that it meant that all he had to do was sleep _that_ off as well.

The suit fell down to his waist after both of his hands were out. Bruce returned as if he had sensed the accomplishment, a stack of clothes in his hands that he put on the bed. Wally didn't wait to be told and simply shifted so that his back was more or less shown to Bruce, as he too wanted to know what the state of it was.

At first nothing happened, which was why Wally almost jumped when he felt one gloved hand gently on his shoulder, keeping him in place. He heard a faint clicking sound and there was light shining on his back from what seemed to be a small, white lighted flashlight. And then he heard the faint sound of a sharp breath being drawn. Concerned he slowly turned his head, as if he could take a look himself.

"We might have to do an x-ray later, just to make sure nothing is misaligned." The hand on his shoulder began to hover over his skin and follow his spine down until the suit blocked the path. "Your back is discolored all the way, I can't imagine the pressure Superman put on you." Wally suspected that Bruce knew because Bruce just knew things like that. "I'm not sure if he's just that sadistic or if your metabolism saved you from a more severe injury as this. For now it seems like a giant bruise."

"'s that a...medic'l assessment?," Wally hissed out between two breaths despite the pain it caused. He could _feel_ the disapproving look on his back and it made his skin crawl in a strange way. As if it wasn't the right look. Which itself was a strange feeling….Maybe he had gotten used to Lord Batman's behavior?

A shiver ran down his back and he slowly shifted back to his original position to grab some of the clothes Bruce had brought with him. He suddenly didn't feel like being this exposed anymore.

Bruce seemed to sense...something and turned the little flashlight off and quickly provided one of the shirts before Wally even touched the small amount of clothing.

He murmured a coarse "Thank you" and slowly put it over his head, Bruce tugging on the hem to help guide the shirt as effortlessly as possible. A second later sweatpants with an elastic band were in his hands and Bruce simply crouched in front of him again and slowly rolled the suit down Wally's body, even assisting with lifting his hips to get it over his ass. Wally's face was as red as a tomato by the time the suit was off and the sweatpants on (also with the help of Bruce) and he was thankful for the strange in-between light from the early dawn for masking that fact.

"Do you want to drink something?" Bruce quietly asked as he helped Wally on his feet so that he could walk to the side of the bed and slip underneath the blanket to lie on his stomach.

"..no. Just want to rest."

"Okay."

The blanket was put up to his shoulders and then smoothed out while Wally's head sunk into the giant, fluffy pillow. Rich people and their luxury, only to get suffocated by too much fluff in a pillow. He stuffed some of the pillows edge underneath his head, so that at least his nose was not pressed into the material, now that he was so painfully aware of the amount of air he was constantly trying to draw in.

"If you can't find me in one of the next few rooms then I'm in the Batcave," Bruce informed him and drew the curtains close in one swift move and went to the door. Wally meant to give an affirmative hum but that only caused some painful coughing. "The kitchen is down the hallway, should you want to eat something. The fridge is stocked." There was a short nod from the door and then it was closed, leaving Wally alone in the big room.

Somehow he wished he were back with the Kent's. It had felt more lived in, more...homely. Though he shouldn't complain. Technically they were just staying because they had no other choice, not because they wanted to. This was just temporary and he had to commend Bruce on his knowledge of this mansion...then again it didn't look too differently than to the one back home. And Bruce had been here longer than him, it made sense that he had taken in his surroundings, the Batman was just paranoid like that.

He just wondered why Lord Batman had given up the fight so easily. Had it been the earlier portrayed hopelessness of facing off against a counterpart? Or had that been just a reason to keep Wally away from Bruce? He still couldn't believe he had fallen for that. Had not seen the differences...he had always thought he knew his friends well and would have recognized a change like that but…

Maybe he didn't know Bruce that well. Maybe he didn't know anyone back home that well. It had been stupid to take the strange behavior for anything but a lie...or no, not a lie. Lord Batman wasn't lying, not really. He was just...obsessed. And yet...he should have known something was up. As if Bruce would suddenly show interest in him like that. It was just his luck that a deranged version of Bruce would pay him that kind of attention.

Blinking a few times, Wally stared ahead at the dark curtains, feeling as if the shadows danced before his eyes and decided to finally close them to try and catch some sleep. But his mind was still racing.

He just couldn't understand why it had felt so...nice, to have that kind of attention. Before, when Lord Batman had looked at him, that had felt strange. Everything they talked about had had this underlying...sadness and _need_. As if he was expecting Wally to do something about it but back at the Kent's it hadn't been like that. Sure, it had been weird on its own but there had been no underlying expectation. Even now when he thought back to it…

No. He really shouldn't think back to it. So what. He had had three crazy days with someone he had thought was a friend but really wasn't. Lord Batman was nothing more than a stranger. Almost like Bruce but not really, because at some point their lives had diverted...or would divert. Lord Batman was older than Bruce, wasn't he? This was basically the bad version of their future.

Maybe it was for the best to just forget the last few days and look forward to getting back home. At home he could hide in his bed and think about things for a while. Especially about this strange feeling in his chest, as if something wasn't fitting the way it should. Though for all he knew it might just be this strange room in a version of a building he knew.

For a second he wished he could lie in a different position but even the tiniest of attempts to lift one of his limbs made his back ache. So he endured the pounding in his back and the ache in his throat until exhaustion and a healing body slowly pulled him under. His thoughts were still racing but got more and more absurd, with strange _what ifs_ showing their faces only to be forgotten again as he really fell asleep.

The room was still dark, thanks to the curtains, by the time Wally slowly woke up. It was a gradual return to consciousness. He shifted slowly around, one foot slipping out from underneath the blanket and rapidly cooling off due to the cold air. He blinked a few times and cleared his throat automatically. The mild discomfort he experienced the final push to fully wake him up.

He remained a few more seconds in his position, he hadn't moved once during the night it seemed, and listened for any sign of life outside of the room. But the bedroom itself was already so big and the door to it was closed as well. There was no noise whatsoever that reached him. So, with some hesitation, he slowly sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The pain from yesterday (today? What time was it?) was already gone however, replaced by a tight feeling of discomfort. As if he had an ongoing cramp. His throat was much the same. It felt tight and still not entirely right but it was way better than before.

He still opted to stand up slowly, vividly remembering the pain of having to walk with such a bruised back for more than a few steps. But that particular pain was entirely gone. Wally even went so far and test his luck by swaying on his heels for a little bit. Relieved that there would be no further pain while walking, Wally walked over to the window to peek behind the curtains. It was dark outside.

Had he slept the entire day away? The sun had been rising when Bruce had brought him here. Well...at least Bruce would have some results by now. Right? Batman was just a busy body like that. _That_ Wally knew.

With a sigh he let go of the curtains and went for the door to the side of the bed to find out that he had been right with his assumption. There was a rather luxurious bathroom, just for this one bedroom.

He would never understand rich people.

The light switch was easily located and the light blinded him for a few seconds. His eyes easily adjusted by the time he had reached the sink and the mirror above it.

He was a mess.

Hair sticking in every direction, skin pale and his face gaunt thanks to the combined factors of having not enough food and way too much stress. And then there was throat. There was an ugly, yellow-ish mark of Lord Superman's hand around it. It didn't look too nice and he wondered how it had looked by the time he had gone to bed. It couldn't have been a pretty sight. He briefly met his reflections eyes before grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head while facing the mirror with his back. This was a bit more challenging as he had to slowly rotate his upper body and head in a way to still see his back on the mirror. He couldn't see the entirety of it due to the mirrors position but there was a clearly fading bruise on his back. One giant bruise. There was a red small line going on in the middle of his back, right where his spine was. But that too looked like it was fading already.

All in all...a mess.

There was only to hope that he never got into a fight with Clark. It was no fun to be on the receiving end of that kind of strength.

Wally shook his head and slowly stretched himself as tall as he dared, groaning all the way when his back began to ache a bit more insistently, but it still felt good.

He brought his attention to the shower and divested himself of the rest of his clothes and stepped inside. The water was immediately warm and it felt like bliss when his muscles relaxed under it. There was even some expensive shampoo in here which made him wonder if all the bathrooms in this mansion were stocked like that or if Bruce had known Wally would find his way back and need a place to rest. Though in the end it didn't matter. The shampoo was there and he was going to use it.

After the shower he felt marginally better, only to discover that he hadn't really thought about another set of clothes. Musing over that problem, Wally grabbed one of the towels and slowly dried himself. If he remembered correctly, Bruce hadn't taken the rest of the pile of clothes with him when he had left Wally to sleep. The only question was where he had put it.

He put the towel around his hip and stepped out of the bathroom, the light from it spilling out and into the dark bedroom. Well, he really didn't have to worry too much. The pile of clothes was still there on the bed right beside his suit, undisturbed by Wally's sleeping position. He sighed as he noticed that there was no underwear in that pile...he would make do until he could ask Bruce about it. Or just go home without saying a word. There was always his suit to put on and one of those sweatpants to put over it.

For now however he put on a fresh pair of pants and a shirt, the towel as easily forgotten as it had been picked up.

The all too familiar ache of being starved urged him out of the room and to where Bruce had mentioned the kitchen to be. The doors to the rooms he passed by were all open and dark, much like the kitchen. He fumbled around along the wall until he found the switch for the lights, not even the faintest of lights streaming in through the windows that he could see.

Again he blinked against the sudden light, this one even brighter than the one in the bathroom. The next second he stood in front of the fridge with a groan. He shouldn't have used his speed, if his back was anything to go by. No running then, until it was really all gone. Still, he had made it to the fridge and eagerly looked into it.

To his surprise it was fully stocked.

Perplexed, Wally took one of the yogurts and looked at the expiration date to see if Lord Batman usually kept it that well stocked or if Bruce had decided to go all out with money that wasn't technically his'. It must have been the latter of the two, the yogurt still had some time to go before it would go bad.

He also checked the vegetables and found them all to be in peak condition. Had Bruce gone out during the day and gotten all that? Did it really matter?

Instead of even thinking about the answer to that, he took out almost everything in the fridge and placed it on the counter. He sorted through everything while finishing off the three yogurts that he could find, along with an entire liter of milk. Just to get something going. The rest got divided into certain piles that he could make into various dishes.

Cooking was never really his forte. Which didn't mean that he couldn't cook, it was just that he usually lacked the patience for it. He'd rather just eat whatever he had than waste time on cooking an entire dish and eat that in seconds. But he had time right now and an entire fridge to empty. While cooking two dishes at once he could still eat what was made to be eaten cold.

Sure, it wasn't that big of an amount but he already felt better for it after some of the nutrients got digested and put to good use.

It was strange how much this kitchen felt and didn't feel like the one in Bruce's mansion back home. In this one he didn't feel the need to constantly look over his shoulder for Alfred to appear and be mad at him for even thinking about cooking.

He really ought to visit the mansion once they were home. He hadn't been there since Dick had moved out and Alfred was such a unique person. No one could beat that man's dry humor and it was always a delight to hear him talk. Especially when he was younger and could barely contain any snickering due to such things.

Heck, he hadn't really gotten better at containing laughter, had he?

His amusement slowly fell away as he thought about this dimension's Alfred. Was the man still alive? And if so where was he? Lord Batman might have made the wrong choices but...he would have expected Alfred to still be here and be a little hostile, to show Lord Batman what he was doing wrong. Alfred was just that much of a man, to stand up to Batman. What made him leave?

Wally sighed. He wouldn't find any answers by burning the meat. Ah well, he'd still eat it.

So much for being a decent cook.

He put everything on a few plates, as much as each one was able to hold something, and moved them over to the isle with the barstools and sat down.

Bruce entered the kitchen, _still _in the wrong Batsuit (sans cowl and gloves), just when Wally was done eating and stacking the plates on top of each other.

"Hey," Wally smiled somewhat and gestured to the stove. "I left you something to eat. It's a bit burned tho."

Bruce's expression turned incredibly soft. "Hi. Thank you." Was it something about the cowl being down and Bruce Wayne's face or was Bruce just tired? Or was Wally imagining things, after having gotten to see what an easy-going Batman was like?

"But you didn't need to bother, I ate something earlier," Bruce said but still went over to the stove to bring Wally the rest of the food. "I also ordered some Pizza, you have a bit of catching up to do."

"Oh that's...that's nice, thank you too. Was it difficult?"

"What?" Bruce looked rather confused while he got himself some coffee Wally hadn't even seen being there and sat down right beside him.

"Ordering the pizza. You're not...well..not this dimension's Bruce Wayne. I mean, obviously it wasn't _difficult _to order pizza," Wally said amused. Ordering pizza couldn't be difficult in any kind of dimension. "But like..wasn't it weird? To pretend to be someone you aren't?"

Bruce just made a contemplative hum, as if it hadn't even crossed his mind. "No...no I wouldn't say so. The other person expected Bruce Wayne and that was who they got. There was no need to fret over technicalities."

"Ah, right." Wally nodded once and finished the rest of his cooked meal and placed the brought over pan beside the plates. He'd clean them later. It felt wrong to leave these dirty with no Alfred around and them leaving soon.

"What...uh...what do you think happened to Alfred here?" He had actually meant to ask after the portal but...Bruce hadn't brought it up and he wondered if that was because he still hadn't made any leeway. Maybe he was embarrassed that he couldn't find a solution? Maybe Wally should offer his help, no matter how pointless.

"He left," came the bitter reply. Wally's eyes snapped to Bruce's face, noting the carefully held expression there. "He couldn't stand the way things have spiraled out of control...at least that's what I imagine had happened." The last part seemed added as an afterthought. There was even a strange crack when Bruce actually said Alfred's name again. "Alfred...I know him. He would have never stood for any of this."

Wally wondered about the strong reaction but...the thought couldn't be nice. To know what kind of man Alfred was and what Lord Batman had done to drive him away. It stood to reason that Bruce would take it as a personal slight against himself, as if he had done the wrong thing.

"Maybe this Alfred will come back one day?" Wally asked gently while he looked back at the table. "We don't know, maybe Lord Batman will have a change of heart at some point. I'd like to imagine that Alfred could find it in him to come back."

He could feel Bruce staring at him and slowly turned his head to look back at him. There was actually a small smile on Bruce's face, although a sad one. "Yes. I'd like to think so as well."

Wally offered a small smile on his own as they lapsed into a strange silence. It only lasted around two minutes and still felt...not right. He wondered what it was.

Maybe the suit?

"Why haven't you changed? Out of the suit I mean?"

Bruce looked down at the end of his sleeve and tentatively picked at it. "_He's_ wearing my suit and I'm not very inclined to go and talk to him. The alternative would have been clothes like yours...but I feel a bit better with the suit on. Especially when facing Superman."

Ah. It was more like armor, even when it was the wrong one. Wally nodded and opened his mouth for the next question but closed it again.

Bruce noticed and urged him to go on by inclining his head.

"Can we..can we go home soon?" Why was he so insecure about asking? It was the only thing that mattered! Not why Bruce was wearing the wrong suit or why Alfred was gone or why any of this was the way it was. All he wanted was to go home and for some reason...Wally felt as if he wasn't allowed to ask. He didn't like that. This dimension was screwing with his head.

"Mhh give me one more day, maybe two," Bruce said and Wally was _so_ glad that he hadn't been drinking anything. The sentence was such a direct quote of what Br...Lord Batman had said to him, back when he had asked when he would feel well enough. that it was scary. Maybe...maybe mixing them up wasn't such a difficult thing. Not when they could quote each other without being aware.

The revelation derailed his thoughts so well that Bruce's reply itself registered only after a few seconds. What? "A...a day or two?" Wally almost bit his own tongue, not sure how to actually form words for the next second. "I...wh..I thought you guys could anticipate each other's moves. Like...do you know that many possibilities that he could have put in there as security?" And it wasn't as if Bruce hadn't already been working on it, despite the search for him having taking priority. Sure. Wally wasn't well versed when it came to programming and security measurements but it had to be faster than that. Right? Or was he being unfair?

"I wish it would be faster as well," Bruce sighed and traced the handle of his coffee mug. "But he must have _anticipated_ us trying to leave and used something that he wouldn't normally use. That I wouldn't usually use. And that just widens the possibilities. I actually wrote a program that is now trying to test all kinds of combinations." Bruce looked up at Wally again as he explained it. "That is why it takes so long. It's more efficient like that. I could try whatever I want and take _days_."

Wally immediately felt sorry for even asking. So it was more complicated than he thought. "Oh I'm..sorry. I'm just homesick, I guess. I miss the other's and my flat and just..our dimension in general. Not that you don't miss anything, I'm not saying that," he hastily added.

"I know." Bruce nodded. "It's alright...But something else: I found where he kept his medical equipment. Would you mind if I do an x-ray of your back? Just to be safe?"

His back felt _fine_, safe for the limited mobility when he moved too much. Though he could see Bruce's reasoning. Better safe than sorry. What if something healed the wrong way and he wouldn't be able to run freely anymore? Just because he didn't feel like doing an x-ray. "Not at all. Lead the way." Wally stood up and put the dirty plates and pan into the sink for later. He also did a quick search through the cupboards for glasses and filled one upon finding them.

He quickly drained the entire glass and left it to the side, smiling at Bruce who inclined his head and moved out of the kitchen.

They went downstairs again, back into the Batcave. Even from a distance Wally could see something running across the screen of the Batcomputer. Most likely the program Bruce had talked about, searching the codes for their way home. Was it wrong that he hoped for some luck in that case?

Bruce stayed clear of the area with the cells and moved to another corner of the cave where something like a medical wing had been set up. It seemed sparse but well equipped for a one-man army.

"Here," Bruce said and pointed to the medical bed that stood in the middle of the little area. "Take your shirt off and sit with your back to me. It won't take long."

Wally nodded and pulled his shirt over his head, the cold air of the cave immediately hitting his skin. He shivered as he sat down on the bed as instructed, his back to the cave as he held the shirt in front of himself to capture some of the warmth.

He could feel the second Bruce stepped up behind him, the air not as cold as before, as he put something like a blanket over his shoulders and head and moved away again. "Don't move." The sound of a machine being turned on reached his ears, the sound like a motor slowly shifting into gear only that the noise didn't rise in volume. It must have taken under a minute for the noise to die down again and for Bruce to stand behind him once more, removing the small blanket. Both of Bruce's hands brushed down the entire length of Wally's back, causing him to shiver once to get rid of the strange sensation.

He couldn't remember if Bruce had always done this excessive amount of touching during a medical assessment.

"You can put your shirt back on," Bruce said and went over to the gadget to see the results of the scan.

Wally wished he had a sweater to throw on as well after he had the shirt on again, still feeling rather chilled but didn't do anything about it. Instead he joined Bruce to see if there was anything to worry about.

The image didn't really tell him much, besides that he had a spine. It looked fine to him, if he were to judge of it. "So...verdict?"

One of Bruce's hands went up and trailed down the image of the spine, before stopping at the lower section of it. "There's still some bruising around here. Are you in pain?" An intense look that got quickly toned down and changed to something...softer, got thrown his way and Wally felt like hugging himself. But he resisted and merrily flexed his fingers.

"No. It feels like an overworked muscle. The only time it hurts is when I use my speed. And even then I'd describe it more like a sting than real pain."

"That matches with the bruising," murmured Bruce. "It already healed well. The process will be speed up after you ate some more. The food should arrive soon….I'm sorry that Superman attacked you, that wasn't my intention."

Wally shot Bruce an incredulous look. "Seriously? That guy is a ticking time bomb. Honestly, I'm impressed you can control him the way you do, so don't worry about it. I'm still walking." He offered an easy smile that didn't have any kind of effect on Bruce, if the displeased scowl was anything to go by.

"That's no excuse. He shouldn't have made it that far. He should have stuck to the plan."

"The plan?" Somehow Wally had thought that Bruce had just showed the Kryptonite and gave orders, not that he had had an entire plan for Lord Superman to follow...then again, that was Batman. Plenty of plans around.

Bruce's hand was still touching the picture of his spine but one of the fingers twitched, almost as if Bruce held back some kind of involuntary motion. "The plan to find you," he slowly said after a few seconds. "To get you back and away from..._him._ He didn't need more steps than that, yet he somehow managed to derail from it and attack you."

Ah. That kinda plan. "You know," Wally started as he slowly turned away to make his way back up to the warmer rooms of the mansion. "I wonder why he's so...violent towards me. The rest of the Lords weren't like that. Never mind Lord Batman."

Bruce turned off the scanner and followed Wally with wide steps to settle beside him as they made their way through the cave and up the stairs. "I suspect that he blames you. Though for what is debatable since he seems to have settled quite nicely in the role of self-asserted leader."

"Right? I get it, if someone wants to blame me because...well...I look like their Flash. But Lord Superman hardly seems in tears about it. Or about Flash….Maybe it's just anger issues."

One corner of Bruce's mouth twitched at that. "Maybe, if you simplify the issue."

"Hard not to do since I don't know the _issues _he got."

Bruce shook his head and slowed down once they were back in the mansion. "Go and drink some more water. The Pizza must be here any second. I'll get it."

"Alright," Wally said as he gave a mock salute. "I'll wait in the kitchen then." And do the dirty dishes while he was waiting. It was something to do for a few seconds, after all.

Was it strange that he felt eyes burning holes into the back of his head?


	11. Chapter 11

Wally had fallen asleep after a rather nice amount of pizza, Bruce's weird company, and a fireplace in one of the living rooms, the warmth lulling him into some more rest.

He woke up to giant hands holding his face, thumbs gently caressing his cheeks as he slowly came to again. He had to blink a few times before he could focus on Bruce's face rather close to his own, the other more or less hovering above him without actually sitting in his lap.

"Wha'?"

"You had a nightmare," Bruce murmured and stopped his thumbs from moving but kept holding Wally's face. "I didn't want you to hurt yourself due to unnecessary movements."

Huh. Odd. Wally didn't feel like he had experienced a nightmare. His body felt rather calm actually, just as he imagined someone to be who had a nice time after much stress. "Oh...thank you," Wally murmured and let his eyes droop close again.

Until he noticed that Bruce wasn't really moving. Confused he opened his eyes again and glanced up at the other. "Bruce?"

"Mh?" The look Bruce gave him was odd, with a dream like quality to it. As if he was looking at him but not really _seeing _him_._

Wally wondered where the other had gone in his mind.

"You can...let go of my face now," Wally said in a low, slightly cracking voice for fear of startling the other. It was strange having him so closer. It seemed that Lord Batman had gotten to him after all with all that teasing. And to have Bruce so close now, almost as if the other meant to be that close instead of doing him a favor…

Bruce only gave a low hum as he leaned in until their foreheads rested against each other. Even more confused, Wally tensed up but remained as still as possible. If he wouldn't know it better, he'd say Bruce had almost-

"I keep watching you, while you move, while you sleep…", Bruce suddenly began, his voice quiet and deep. Almost out of breath.

"What?" Wally asked but was ignored.

Instead Bruce went on as if Wally hadn't spoken at all, a certain longing in his voice. "I missed you. I wish I could burn your image into my mind, to keep it there forever."

_What_? He started to tremble ever so slightly, an ugly thought taking root at the back of his mind.

Bruce reacted to the trembling by slowly putting his arms around Wally, hugging him close and effectively keeping him between the plush seat and muscular body.

"_Bruce."_ Wally insisted and wiggled his arms between them to try to bring some space between them. "Did you…," he swallowed heavily against the bile rising in his throat. "Did _you _have a nightmare? I know the..the last few days haven't been optimal for any of us but-" Something wasn't right here. _Bruce _wasn't right. He would _never_...he would never come so close to Wally. He had made that clear while he and Lord Batman had had their little spat about who was the right one.

Bruce allowed Wally to put some space between them but retaliated by placing one hand back against Wally's face, caressing the skin there as he stared at his face. "I had," Bruce admitted. "But the nightmare is over now. I'm just glad to have you back." And then he slowly leaned in. Different than before. Not to put his forehead against his' but to...to…

Wally's hands were _shaking, _his entire body rejecting the idea so suddenly that he actively used his speed to push Bruce away and get out of the seat, bringing it between them as he stared at the other who had stumbled backwards.

What was happening?! Any other time he would have jumped at the chance to have Bruce's attention, had liked it when they were at the Kent's' (only that it hadn't been _Bruce_, hadn't it?) but now...now when things have calmed down and he had some alone time with Bruce all he wanted was to get away again.

And the root of that ugly thought grew into more, until Wally could feel the color drain from his face. _What had he done?!_

"You're not Bruce, are you?" And here was it. The _truth._ Because there had never been a lie _to begin with_. Which meant he had abandoned **Bruce**, had left him locked away in a cell while Wally ...while he was up here with the enemy.

"I am Bruce," **Lord Batman** said and took a step forward but not around the chair. "And you are Wally West. The Nightmare...it must have confused you."

God, it made so much more sense. Why Lord Batman hadn't changed out of the suit. Not because he didn't have the right one but because it was the right one. Why he could use Lord Superman the way he did.

"Right...the _nightmare_," Wally replied bitter, he could almost taste the bile raising up. "The nightmare _you_ have been trapped in. The nightmare you can't accept as reality. That one?"

"Don't you see," Lord Batman insisted and stepped closer again, hands on the armrests of the chair as if his legs were too weak all of the sudden. Wally didn't move to help him. "Things can be right again because without you it all falls apart. Everything falls apart. But you're back. You came back to me."

And in that moment Wally didn't know if he should pity that man in front of him or be so unbelievably angry to leave him where he stood. "You never intended us to go back…" As if the other hadn't just spouted weird poetry about his alternate self. As if Wally was his alternate self.

"We could go back if you want," Lord Batman offered earnestly, his face open and hopeful to the point of making Wally uncomfortable. "We can stay here and have whatever you want or..or we go back. We go back and be there where your friends are and have whatever you want. To me it doesn't matter. I will follow where you go."

Wally's shoulders dropped as the air left his lungs, feeling defeated without having actually fought. "Bruce...it doesn't work like that. I don't belong here and you don't belong there. We don't have history. We know nothing-"

He watched as Lord Batman went around the chair, let him come closer and grab him by the shoulders but only because he knew that Lord Batman wouldn't hurt him. Not on purpose anyway because right now Wally was hurting rather badly.

"_You_ came back to _me_. That must mean something Wally. There is always a reason for things happening. Nothing happens without a purpose."

Wally put his hands on Bruce's arms, trying to stay calm in the face of this...this lost person. Something must have happened while he had slept. Why else would Lord Batman suddenly show his hand? Why else would he be so desperate...or had he been like this all along? Hidden away because others were there? "The only reason I'm here is because you _kidnapped_ me," Wally said quietly. "And that isn't purpose that's manipulation. You're losing yourself to a fantasy Bruce. What was, can't be again," he insisted despite the crestfallen look on Lord Batman's face.

"No-"

But Wally didn't let him speak. "He won't come back, Bruce. He's gone and what you...what you did..," he swallowed heavily again, Bruce's grip turning desperate around his shoulders. "Do you think he would be happy about it? That Wally would be happy to see you like _this_? Because of him?"

"What are you talking about? Things can be fine again. It will be as if you never left!"

Something was wrong and Wally slowly suspected that Lord Batman wasn't as mentally sound as he would have made everyone believe. The difference between Wally and his counterpart was blurring for the other, maybe it had never existed upon seeing him for the first time when they came through the portal. Maybe Lord Batman just couldn't handle the truth.

And Wally didn't know how to make it clear to him. Only…

He knew. Didn't he?

One of Lord Batman's hands cupped his face again.

All Wally had to do was...to be the one Lord Batman wanted. To take it and- (Lord Batman came closer again, hope written across his face.) -to use it.

"No," Wally said with a blank face, startling Lord Batman out of his intention as Wally grabbed each hand of the other and pulled them away from him. Wally's heart was pounding away because of what he was going to do.

"So you meant to replace _me_," Wally slowly said, hurt.

Lord Batman's expression turned surprised and then worried. "No! Never! I would never-"

"Did you think I would be happy about it? That you would go and replace me with _another_?

"I didn't I swear! I just found you. I brought you back! I-"

"No. You didn't find me Bruce. You lost me and now you won't move on. You won't let _me_ move on. What makes me so special?" It was one of the hardest things he had ever done to keep his expression as neutral as possible, despite the heartbreaking scene before him as Lord Batman went down on his knees, pleading eyes staring at someone who Wally wasn't.

"What...because you're _you_," the last word left Lord Batman breathless. "Because you heal things, because you keep things _good._ Without you…"

"'Without me', what? Bruce," Wally said urgently and this time it was him who took the other's face into his hands to make him listen intently. "People die, that's how the world works. People die and people move on. And it hurts. It will always hurt but that's no excuse. It has never been an excuse. Not for you and not for the others. I might mean _so much _to you but to the world I'm just another person who died and you…-" His mask was slowly breaking, tears making his eyes glassy as Lord Batman replied in kind, quiet and devastated. "-you need to let me go."

"_No-_"

"I cannot rest Bruce, don't you understand? Do you...do you want me to be in pain?"

"No!" One of Lord Batman's arms shot out and Wally let him take hold of his neck.

"Then let go. Go back to your ways and heal this world on your own...or let this cape rest and let the world deal on its own but what was cannot be again." Tears were slowly rolling down his face, the desperate noise the other made making his body tremble once more.

"Let me go," he repeated in a whisper and leaned in close to give Lord Batman a kiss on the forehead, tasting the salt of his own tears. "Let me go and let me rest and be glad for the time you had. But this can't go on."

The grip on his neck tightened frightfully, only to fall away completely. Lord Batman rested back against his feet as the fight left him, his arms falling to his side as his eyes closed and tears rolled down his pale face.

Wally gently brushed his thumb over the place where he had given the other a kiss and slowly stepped away, watching Lord Batman's reaction though nothing else happened. Except for more tears rolling down.

Before him was a broken man. Silent and unmoving and Wally wondered if Lord Batman had ever let himself mourn the death of the one that meant so much to him.

Wally found that he didn't have it in him to tie Lord Batman up. Hadn't he endured enough already? And with no guarantee that someone would find and free him, never mind the fact that Lord Batman could escape on his own. There was no knot in the world Wally could use that Lord Batman didn't know. Of that, he was sure.

Instead he slowly stepped away to make his way back to the bedroom he had been given. There, Wally hastily changed into his suit and stepped into his boots. He couldn't wait to get home and burn this suit once this was all over.

He quickly scrubbed his face with the used shirt to get rid of any tears, now that he felt able to stop. The shirt forgotten, Wally jogged back into the direction of the Batcave. Even without using his speed running hurt. It must be the motion and not the speed that caused the slight discomfort. Having come to the realization, Wally zipped downstairs to where he knew the cells to be.

The first two were empty but the third one revealed Bruce with his cowl down, secured the same way they had been a few days ago.

"Bruce!" The cell opened easy enough after simply vibrating his hand through the console. Wally was done with trying out codes.

Bruce's eyes opened in surprise and quickly became worried upon seeing Wally's red eyes. "Wally?! What happened?"

Wally immediately stood before the other, inspecting the cuffs and finding the release just as easy as before. Bruce wasn't free for longer than a second when he grabbed Wally's shoulders to take a closer look at his face. "Wally?"

"Nothing…," Wally said and stared back, noting the immediately relief he felt by being in the other man's presence. For some reason his body had just known. "I...I gave him what he wanted…" He tried hard to hide the way his voice sounded watery but it was to no avail. Bruce noticed it with ease and Wally could watch the way his expression closed off. What kind of conclusions he came to.

"What?"

Wally had to blink a few times, as his eyes still stung. "I pretended to be...to be _him_. And I told him my view. I don't think...Bruce….I don't think he's going to recover too well," Wally murmured and licked his dry lips. His throat felt tight. He had pushed someone over the edge, he just knew. He couldn't imagine Lord Batman standing up and walking away from it that easily. "I think I broke him." His voice cracked.

The tension in Bruce's shoulders fell away and, almost like a mocking mirror image of his counterpart, put one of his hands on Wally's face. The hand was warm and steady, the skin coarse against his own. Bruce's face was oddly gentle. "You did what you had to do," he murmured. "Where did you leave him?"

"Upstairs...I think he was in shock." Wally stared ahead at Bruce's chest, at the giant symbol in front of him as he couldn't stand the other's gaze right then. He had done quite a few things wrong, knew that he should have secured this and that but...he just couldn't do it. Every fiber in his body just knew that Lord Batman wouldn't be a problem again.

Only that he suddenly looked up. "Kiss me."

He had never seen Bruce's eyes widen as fast as he did then. "Wally-" Bruce began but it was already answer enough.

Wally gave him a watery smile and patted the arm closes to him. "Just had to make sure." Because Lord Batman would have jumped at the chance. Wouldn't have given it a second thought but _Bruce_...Bruce wouldn't.

Was it bad that he would have preferred it the other way around?

"No. I would if.."

If _what_? Confused and on a possible emotional breakdown himself, Wally searched Bruce's face for any clues on what he meant. Until slowly, very slowly, it dawned on him.

With a groan, Wally tilted forward and rested his forehead against the Batsymbol. "You have the worst timing to start flirting with me."

"Who said I have never done that before?" Bruce brought both of his arms around Wally, pressing him gently closer and bearing most of his weight as Wally gave in.

"Seriously? I might be dense," Wally said against the chest. "But I would have noticed at some point…"

There was a brief moment of silence until Wally leaned back and looked up at Bruce, a slightly apologetic expression on the other's face. "I might have been a bit too subtle about it."

That forced a chuckle out of Wally, who quickly covered it up by wiping the moisture in his eyes away. "Right."

"Right," Bruce echoed. "If you…still want me to.." But he trailed off as he slowly came closer to Wally's face, who moved to meet him on half the way. Only for Bruce to stop and tense up right before they made actual contact.

"How _predictable_," came a sneer from behind Wally, right where the door to the cell was located and he slowly turned to the side to look at Lord Superman.

Bruce immediately dragged Wally behind him, slightly shielding him from the enemy.

"Adorable," Lord Superman said amused, his expression anything but kind as he still focused only on Wally. "And why was that so difficult to do with Bruce upstairs, mh? They have the same face, voice and unlike this one Bruce actually wants you!"

"Don't assume-" But Bruce didn't get to finish.

"I don't need to assume! And I most definitely don't need you." Lord Superman suddenly stood before the two while Wally tried to get Bruce out of the way, something that was made more complicated with the limited room that they had in there.

He didn't manage in time and Lord Superman grabbed Bruce by the throat and dragged him away and out of the cell, all while Bruce clawed at the hand without making so much as a scratch.

"The Kryptonite!" Wally shouted as he jogged after the both of them, only to come to a halt when Lord Superman glared at him.

"Stay there if you want this one alive."

So Wally stood there, right outside the cell. "What do you want?! Let us go. The game is over. Lord Batman isn't going to blackmail you anymore."

There was a sharp laugh, not unlike some of the villains back home, that caused Wally's hair at the back of his neck to raise.

"Blackmail? _Me_? I think you got something wrong Wally. " Lord Superman chuckled before he turned serious. Bruce was still trying to free himself and _why wasn't he going for the Kryptonite_? "You asked what I want so let me tell you: What I want is for you to go upstairs and be whatever this man wants you to be. Our League is good but it is nothing without its tactician and ever since Flash died…well, let's say Bruce had been a little occupied. But with you here, looking the exact same, you can make this right again.

Bruce will be able to focus again and you? You can have a nice, laid back life with all the money you want. I'd say that's a pretty nice deal."

"No! Did you even know me?! I'd never-"

"Honestly, I don't care," Lord Superman sneered and lifted Bruce up by the throat to dangle to the side of him, obviously putting pressure on his airpipe. "The way I see it, Bruce here is the only thing keeping you from submitting."

"No, stop!" Wally's voice cracked, heart pounding in his throat and finger tips. Lord Superman wouldn't…wouldn't _kill_ Bruce. He'd said-!

"So the logical reason would be-"

"I said _stop_!" Lightning was dancing over his suit, his hands were shaking.

"-to eliminate-"

"_No!" _Wally could see the exact moment Lord Superman closed his hand while Bruce had both hands on the attacking wrist and tried to pry it off, his legs attempting to kick out.

"-him."

The next second Bruce fell to the ground, the sickening crunch of breaking bones echoing underneath the deafening _boom_ that shook the entire cave to its core, dust and little stones falling from the ceiling.

Wally had crossed the space between them faster than he had ever gone before, tearing through the sound barrier and any other barrier that may have existed after it so quickly that the sound of it alone would have pushed Bruce to the side. His fist had connected with Lord Superman's face, shattering the bones of his lower arm upon contact, as Lord Superman actually _flew_ a few meters back and landed in a dizzy on the ground.

There was another sound ringing in Wally's ears as he fell to both knees, clutching his broken and already swelling arm close to his chest until he started to heave through the pain.

Belatedly he realized that he had been _screaming_ and had only now stopped when he couldn't draw in air anymore.

His entire body was shaking and tears were welling up in his eyes as he drew himself smaller on all threes, his back rounded.

"Wally!" Bruce rasped as his hands were over Wally's body, though he didn't prod Wally to actually uncurl from his current position. So Bruce finally put them at the back of Wally's neck as he leaned down. "Are you alright?! What was that sound?"

"My…my arm…," Wally gasped out and shook his head as another violent shiver ran through his body.

"We need to take a look at your arm. Immediately." Bruce already moved to help Wally up, but Wally shook his head and pulled away, curling up on his knees again.

"Open…open the portal. I don't think I can…I can do that a second time when he gets up." He wished for Supes or Diana right then, hoping that Bruce could actually get the portal to open. If not…then Wally didn't know what would happen. He hadn't even known he could _do_ that, that he could stop any kind of Superman for even a fraction of a second.

Although the price seemed rather high for that accomplishment.

He could feel the way Bruce hesitated but finally listened to Wally and stepped away, the speed of the retreating steps suggesting that Bruce was actually running.

There was a groan coming from ahead of him. Through gasps Wally slowly looked up, leaning heavily against his good elbow on the ground. Lord Superman was already moving again, albeit rather disoriented. He hadn't even made it up yet as he merely seemed to try and get his orientation on where he was.

Wally slowly sat back on his legs, broken arm close to his upper body as Lord Superman slowly looked in his direction. At first confused but then with more and more understanding on what had happened.

"You!" He slurred as he rolled to the side to use his arms to push himself up.

Wally's mind was foggy from the pain but he still had enough brain cells to know that he had to get back on his feet, so he leaned on his good arm and got on his trembling legs. Immediately he had to take a step back to catch himself from simply tilting to the side as Lord Superman too had made it on his legs.

"Please stop," Wally said through clenched teeth. "I don't… I don't want to fight you."

"I wouldn't either," hissed Lord Superman and speed up right in front of Wally, arm outstretched to crush his neck. Only that he never made it to his target as Lord Superman was tackled to the side by _Supes,_ followed by Diana and GL. They continued their fight a little bit away from him, punches being thrown so hard that they echoed through the cave.

Tension left Wally's body and he stumbled again, his legs growing weak as he didn't have to keep Lord Superman busy anymore. But he never hit the ground as strong arms catched him, jarring his injured arm enough to elicit a cry.

"I'm sorry, sorry!" Shayera immediately breathed into his ears as she lifted him up. He could feel the wind of her wings as she pushed herself away from the ground and took him to the portal, it's energy a familiar feeling against his skin as they pushed through.

"Bruce?" Wally breathed through the pain as J'onn greeted them on the other side of it.

"He will deal with everything over there, along with Superman and Wonder Woman," Shayera answered as she handed Wally over to J'onn. "Let us handle everything from here…you did well," she smiled at him and went back through the portal. With one strong movement of her wings.

J'onn's method of flying was nicer on his arm than Shayera's since he didn't have to keep himself up through physical means. Neither said a word as Wally was transported to a Javelin and brought up to the Watchtower where his arm was immediately looked at.

He would be lying if he said he didn't crave some form of painkillers at this point, his arm swollen and pulsating in unison with his heartbeat.

"The bone is splintered," J'onn said as he looked at the data the bed provided through scans. "Some of it already started to heal again and I will have to rearrange the rest or take the splinters out."

"Oh God." It wasn't the first time a bone had to be rebroken again but right then he couldn't imagine J'onn's hands underneath his skin, moving things around.

His face must have gotten worryingly pale if J'onn's expression was anything to go by.

"Do you feel nauseous?" Wally quickly shook his head, only to discover that he might feel a little sick as J'onn went on. "I will use a local anesthetic on your arm. It will be over in no time."

Instead of replying Wally swallowed thickly as he stared at the ceiling and wished himself to be anywhere else but attached to his arm. The pain briefly _spiked_ as the local anesthetic was applied only for it all to go numb. His arm tingled funnily and for a reason unclear to him he felt a headache slowly pounding into existence. He could feel faint wisps of movement in the numb area but refused to look at whatever J'onn was currently doing there for fear of actually getting sick all over himself.

It didn't feel like eternity but it felt long enough that Wally wished for some sleep or any kind of unconsciousness, only that the headache behind his eyes and the weird feeling of his numb arm made it impossible to do so.

He could hear the small noise some of the tiny bone fragments made when J'onn dropped them into some kind of metallic tray and couldn't help but flinch at some of them. Technically he knew it wasn't _that _loud but right then and there it felt like a hammer on his brain.

"Almost done," murmured J'onn, as if he had sensed Wally's distress. "I'll give you some painkillers along with a sugar mixture after that, enough to help you enter sleep and then switch to the sugar one only. Okay?"

"'Kay," Wally forced out and blinked a few times before he decided he'd rather just keep his eyes closed. The faint movement around his arm stopped soon enough and the pain slowly started to start again, only less sharp. By the time the local anesthetic had worn off his arm was in a light brace and the headache slowly ebbed away.

The thought that J'onn really was a miracle worker if he had Wally already hooked up entered his mind before his body succumbed to the little bit of relief and he got pulled under.

A door gently sliding close startled Wally awake and left him to glare disoriented at said door. Seeing how the culprit had already left.

"Did we wake you up?" Asked Bruce from the bed next to his'. "Sorry."

Wally waved his hand to show that it was fine before he made the attempt to sit up. His arm was still in the brace but not hurting anymore. Either he had gotten another round of painkillers or it hadn't been as bad it had felt at the end.

"Ugh my head hurts," Wally said once his attention was drawn away from his arm by the pounding in his head.

Bruce, still in his Batman suit but no boots, gloves or cowl, stood up from his bed and brought him a glass of water. "Huge amounts of painkillers and no hydration or food. Drink enough and it should go away. Everything else alright?"

Grateful for the water, Wally downed the entire glass and held onto it as he massaged his temple. It didn't help. "Sure, I guess…," he murmured. As far as things could be alright after the last few days. Just when he had thought things had been going well Lord Superman had to attack them again.

His head snapped up at the sudden thought, to see the damage done to Bruce's throat. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? How's your neck?"

"I'll survive." Bruce sat down near Wally's feet, looking tired and rolling his eyes at Wally's insisted look. "No lasting damage. J'onn made sure of that. I'm under watch the next few hours. If nothing happens then I'm good to go. Just like you."

Wally was glad that Bruce hadn't gotten hurt beyond that. "So one more sleepover huh?"

Bruce's smile was as genuine as the ones back at the alternate Kent's. "So it seems."

An easy silence settled while Bruce stood up again and moved over to his own med to lie down in.

"See," Bruce began. "Not heavy. The bed didn't even creak."

This time Wally couldn't have kept himself from face-palming even if his life depended on it. "You are literally the worst, I can't believe this."

The sound of Bruce's quiet, albeit raspy laughing reached his burning ears and he peaked out between his fingers to see Bruce lying on his bed in a relaxed manner. Slowly his hand fell away from his face as he scooted backwards so that he could lean against the wall with his back. He didn't feel like lying down right now.

"Wanna explain what you did when you opened the portal or are you not allowed to talk?" He still vividly remembered the bruising around his own neck and wondered if Lord Superman had held back when he had had Bruce in his grasp or if Wally had just kept him from going further.

Bruce moved to lie on his side so that he could look at Wally while they talked.

"The program that was running during that time. It was actually an encrypting one, trying to lock all the schematics and passwords of the portal away. Ironically that gave me enough data to actually open the portal with the new code," Bruce explained, his voice only slightly breaking here and there. Either he was allowed to talk or simply ignored that recommendation. "We were lucky that J'onn had been there on the other side because it was he who called for the other's as I explained the situation. Lord Superman recovered faster than expected and it was only thanks to Clark's speed that they made it in time. Who knew what he would have done to you otherwise."

Things Wally probably didn't want to imagine. What exactly was a Superman capable of once let go of certain beliefs? The asylum had been clear enough and who knew, maybe Wally would have ended up like that too. Like some sick puppet given to Lord Batman to fulfill his _purpose_.

It must have shown on his expression or the parlor of his face because a concerned look crossed over Bruce's face. "What you did, back there, that was…impressive. The amount of force and traction you employed over such a short distance-"

"It didn't feel as amazing as you make it sound." Wally butted in and glanced down at his arm. "I didn't know I could do that…and I don't think I want to do it again."

Bruce only nodded to that, aware of Wally's bitter view of the accomplishment. They would have to mention it in the reports and tell the others anyway, so that they knew. Especially Clark.

But neither said that out loud. Instead Bruce went on with his story. "While Shayera helped you through the portal I stayed back to inform the authorities of what had happened. Together we subdued Lord Superman long enough to bring Kryptonite into the play, which wasn't as easy as it sounded. Apparently Lord Batman had stolen my piece before everything happened." Which made sense why Bruce never got it out whenever Lord Superman had been near.

Wally couldn't imagine the dread Bruce must have felt during that discovery.

"Diana also checked up on Lord Batman but…"

"He was out of it?" Wally dared to ask. There was just no way the other could have recovered from what had happened that fast. No. Wally could clearly picture the defeated figure in that living room.

Bruce nodded. "Yes." It was easy to see that Bruce wanted to know more about what had happened but also didn't press. "We waited for some of the authorities to arrive. After that I deleted everything concerning the portal and rigged it in a way that would let it self-destruct after we went through. It won't be an issue anymore."

Wally's shoulders slumped despite his already tired posture, a weight gone he hadn't even knew had settled there. "Good." Only even after everything that had happened he would like to think he knew Bruce. "Did you keep any of the schematics?"

There was no immediate reply, which itself was already enough of a reply, until he got one.

"Some, yes. Mostly concerning the way he managed to cross dimensions. It will come in handy, should we get more visitors."

Of course. Wally hadn't expected anything less.

With a sigh, he let himself slide a bit lower so that he was lying down again, staring at the ceiling.

" Wally..," Bruce began only to stop again. Curious, Wally turned his head so that he could look at the other. "What you did to Lord Batman you did out of necessity. I know you wouldn't have done whatever you did, if there had been another way."

It was sweet of Bruce, really. Yet Wally wasn't nowhere near where he wanted to hear that, which was why he didn't say anything in return, he just looked at Bruce until the other sighed.

"We should sleep a bit. There's still much work left."

Most of all an official meeting between all of them, coupled with getting better again and doing damage control for the missed days…

What day was it even?

"Alright," Wally finally said and looked up at the ceiling again as he heard Bruce shuffle around to a more comfortable position.

How weird to think they had easily shared a bed, had even _cuddled_ only for now to feel so weird about it. Did Bruce feel this was weird? The two of them in this room together, not even in the same bed? Nothing about it was off but…

Maybe it was because they were back. Being in the Lords' dimension had been an extraordinary scenario with them being removed from home. It stood to reason that they would behave differently here and there, wouldn't it? Or had Bruce meant it?

But…shouldn't they talk about it then? Or was Bruce giving him time and was just tired himself?

Maybe it had been the air there, causing certain people to go all mushy.

A rather ridiculous idea, enough to make him snort about his own stupidity and obviously disturb Bruce.

"What?"

Should he say something or should he not? _What_ should he say? "Can't sleep," Wally sighed after another second came to pass.

"Why?" Bruce hadn't moved so far, so at least he wasn't being stared at.

"...too many thoughts, I guess."

Bruce hesitated only briefly. "Want to talk about it?"

About what? Was it _it_ or just a general inquiry about his thoughts? Why did Bruce have to be so damn confusing, and he didn't even know what Wally was antagonizing himself over!

"No."

It was quiet again after Wally's reply and he wondered if he had been too harsh. Should he have told Bruce about his thoughts? Here and now? Hardly the most fitting place.

"We could talk about it…after everything is done," Bruce offered quietly into the room. So Bruce had known that it was _it_ and not just something.

And yet…

"Yeah.. I think I would like that…"

"Good. Try to sleep, okay?"

Wally gave a nod that Bruce didn't see as another type of silence settled again. Still awkward but less than before, now that the elephant in the room had been addressed.


	12. Chapter 12

They didn't talk about it after leaving the medical bay, which had been expected since Bruce had said after everything. And nothing was over yet.

Boring administration work was waiting, although…maybe Wally shouldn't call it boring. Not when he got slightly anxious as he sat down in his seat in the conference room, feeling slightly out of place in some comfortable clothes taken from his quarters up here in the Watchtower and his arm still in its brace. Even Bruce had gone for the suit, albeit without the cowl, which made Wally the odd one of the entire group.

Not that anyone minded. Everyone sat down, obviously relieved to be together again as a group. Wally didn't even know why he was so nervous. Bruce seemed fine as ever, the suit hiding any discoloration around his neck and his expression any kind of feeling about it.

Their eyes briefly met and Wally noted, mildly surprised, that Bruce's expression softened for a short time, as Bruce gave him a small nod which he eagerly replied.

He really was nervous for nothing. It was probably the last few days still catching up to him.

Wally's attention got drawn by Clark clearing his throat as everyone looked at him, only for Clark to give a sheepish smile.

"Right."

The awkward way Supes delivered it did get a few snickers from the others, including Wally. Somehow Clark seemed like he hadn't expected to have so much eyes on him all of the sudden.

There was a sigh coming from Bruce's side, used to their antics when nothing was too pressing. And right now nothing was after all. Despite a few things like dealing with having been declared missing. Probably. Wally didn't know yet and hadn't found it within him to ask about it.

Surprisingly it was J'onn who actually started and not Bruce, like Wally would have expected him to.

"Why don't we start at the beginning? Which side wants to start first?" J'onn looked at everyone but mostly at Bruce and then Wally.

Curious enough to leave his weird anxiety behind, Wally perked up. "What happened? When the portal closed?"

"Not much, besides us being confused at first," John started as he placed his elbows on the table all business like, only for Shayera to butt in.

"Confused? You should have seen him. He was the first to raise his voice."

"We were all confused and worried," Superman corrected her and faced everyone but mostly those who needed the story. "The portal closed and we didn't know what happened. Or what to do. It's not like we had done more than walk through it a few times. We certainly couldn't force it open."

"We tried various things." J'onn held a tablet in his hand, obviously scrolling through some data. "It was me remaining at the portal site for most of the time. I tried to find your minds close to where the portal used to be."

Bruce nodded with some appreciation. "Where the dimensions had been the closest."

"Exactly, only that it never worked. We actually engaged a few well-known scientists but even with their help we didn't get far. Traveling through dimensions had been theory at best, it was sheer impossibly to suddenly find the solution." J'onn handed over the tablet to Bruce who immediately scrolled through whatever it was that was on there, while the conversation continued around him with Diana taking the lead.

"There wasn't much to do for all of us and even though it pained us to just wait it out we took other tasks on. The cities don't know the extent of what happened but they certainly saw us covering for you." Not that any city minded nowadays. Sometimes one saw a different hero than the day before and life went on.

Wally smiled easily at her. "Thank you! You guys are the best."

That earned him a few smiles as well while Diana shook her head, amused. "Of course. You would do the same."

"And you?" Clark nodded more or less at Wally's injured arm. "What happened over there? Bruce gave us a rundown version of the beginning but we didn't get the entire story. "

"Ah..-"

"He punched Lord Superman," Bruce butted in, one corner of his mouth dangerously close to being lifted up. "And Lord Superman got knocked out for a few seconds."

Everyone looked at Wally then, who turned slightly red and slumped in his chair. "Yeah well, I did hurt myself doing it…"

But Clark didn't seem to find it as awkward as Wally thought he would, given the awed expression.

"That's amazing Wally. I didn't know you could do that!"

"I always knew you had it in you, Hotshot." GL even gave him a firm pat on the shoulder, looking rather proud.

It wasn't really the reaction Wally thought he'd get but…it was nice. To have impressed them, despite the implications and price of achieving it. Still he gave them a small smile, just to appease them a bit. He couldn't wait to get the brace off and forget about it for the most time.

His growling stomach pulled him out of his thoughts, causing a few snickers here and there while Clark stood up. "I'm sure we can talk about the rest after a short break, unless you want to eat here?"

Wally shook his head. As much as he loved his friends he still didn't want to be the one scarfing down food while they had a meeting. "Not really, if that's alright."

J'onn stood up as well. "Of course.."

Everyone seemed to agree and stood up, including Wally, to leave the room.

"Want some company?" GL walked beside him, flanked by Shayera and Diana, both women nodding to show they would also come along.

Wally briefly glanced in Bruce's direction but saw that the other was determined in getting away so…it seemed he had time.

"Sure!" He nodded and was immediately put in the middle of their little group on their walk to the kitchen.

For some reason Wally had assumed that Bruce would talk to him after the meeting because…then they'd have time? But apparently there were more important things right now. Maybe Bruce wanted to check up on things. If systems operated as usual, instead of giving himself a small break.

Wally had already been sent on break for an entire week, so naturally he had thought Bruce would have to take a timeout as well.

Sighing, he sat down with the others who actually got some food for themselves but kept giving him most of it during their little chit-chat. They talked about little things, about how Central was and that people had asked after him after they showed up two times in a row. He really had great friends.

Wally wondered what they'd say once they knew how he had handled Lord Batman.

* * *

As it turned out he didn't need to worry about that. Wally had given a small version of what had happened from his point of view and had reluctantly explained how he had _defeated_ Lord Batman.

The meeting room had been quiet for only a few seconds until the others told him that he had done well, while J'onn offered to be there for him to talk if he wanted to.

In hindsight Wally wasn't sure why he had been so worried about it. Maybe it was his own guilt projected at the others.

Maybe.

The conversation took a turn after that. As expected Bruce spoke up about the possibility of what had happened to this other League could happen to them as well.

It was one of their quieter meetings that stretched on while everyone promised (most of the time they looked at Wally while they did so) that they wouldn't follow those footsteps. That they knew better.

That kind of attention made Wally slightly uncomfortable but at the same time he participated as seriously as the others. Seeing how this talk was exactly how he had imagined it to be while on the other side of the portal.

It was kind of quiet after that, the others taking it all in just as Wally did with everything that had happened. Honestly he was just glad to be home again, no matter what kind of reports he'd have to write.

"Does anyone have anything else?" Bruce asked into the round, his eyes showing a form of exhaustion that seemed to be mirrored on everyone's faces.

There was a solemn murmur that indicated that the meeting was slowly drawing to a close while everyone got up again just like before the break. Only this time no one offered Wally company as everyone had something to do.

Wally remained slightly behind, hoping to catch Bruce for a few minutes but as it turned out Bruce was one of the first people to actually leave, leaving Wally alone in the meeting room after Shayera had gone after GL.

Right. So they still wouldn't talk…

Slightly discouraged, Wally raided the kitchen once more, every sound seemingly louder than necessary now that he was alone in the area, and found himself a lone computer to work on. He might as well type the report while he was up there and everything was still clear in his mind.

Fingers flying over the keyboard, at a trained speed that wasn't _too fast _for the computer, the report was done in a few minutes. Mainly because he kept deleting and rewriting some part, only to delete it again.

He had a rather neat report at the end, in astounding detail as well with almost no emotional, sidetracked paragraphs. All in all…Bruce would be proud, Wally was sure. Even though it didn't do much for his current state. He felt rather drained after that and more than ready to spend a few days away from his suit, no matter how much he loved that piece.

Well, not the one he had gotten disposed of after having been allowed to leave the medical bay. That one was already gone.

Sighing, Wally looked back to his report, glancing at the blinking cursor as if it was asking him for more, despite having written down everything he actively could remember.

He wondered if Bruce was going to pour over the sections he hadn't been awake for as soon as possible. Not that Bruce had missed much. Most of it had been Wally trying to stay awake or passing the time with whatever was available.

After two more minutes of staring at the report but not really reading over it anymore Wally sent it in.

His stomach growled again, having gotten the idea that food was readily available now. And who was Wally to deny himself some food? Which was why Wally opted to raid most of the food available up on the Watchtower, knowing that his own food supply home was as good as nonexistent.

Again he didn't meet anyone around that area. The only one he had spotted had been J'onn watching the monitors, the others probably scattered around the tower or down at Earth.

Shaking his head, Wally truly went for the food in true Speedster fashion. Most of it was gone within seconds and the kitchen empty, save for a few chosen things that he didn't touch (like J'onn's Oreos, one simply didn't mess with some things).

His arm was tingling a bit more after all that food, which probably meant his body was just as happy about it as his brain had been.

A little bit satisfied, Wally found himself in the Javelin Bay, only to realize that he didn't really feel like asking anyone to fly him down.

Dismayed, he stared at one of the machines and meant to turn around, only to see GL enter the bay as well.

"Hey Kid," he smiled somewhat. "Need a ride down? I was about to leave myself."

Well…if things came to him why not take them?

"Hah, as if you knew. Sure!"

"Come on then." GL waved him over to one of the hangar doors leading outside and enveloped the both of them in a green bubble. By the time it was done the Hangar doors opened and let them out, closing automatically behind them while they headed for Earth.

Wally sat down after a few seconds and to his surprise John followed suit, instead of flying besides the bubble. Confused he looked at his friend who smiled at him and shrugged.

"It's nicer like that? And we aren't in any hurry." John's hand was still a fist and he kept glancing at Earth and where he knew Central to be as he guided the bubble down.

"I guess," Wally smiled back and looked down at Earth as well. Up here heights didn't bother him because his mind usually couldn't imagine what kind of height this was. It just seemed too surreal. However when things would become more recognizable he'd probably lie down on his back, so that he wouldn't see the chasm beneath him. There were some views in life he could live without.

Their lapsed into comfortable silence up until Wally actually had to lie on his back, the outlines of a city far, far below becoming clear enough to make his heart start doing jumps just because his brain realized that they were high up. No matter how much he trusted GL.

"You're quiet," John said after a few more seconds and glanced down at Wally's face.

It was Wally's turn to shrug. "Tired I guess. There's much to catch on to and…it was quite something."

"That it was. It must have been scary over there, to have a Batman and Superman track your every step."

"Heh, it was," but Wally smiled as if it was an inside joke. "I dunno. It was a weird combination and with Bats out of it for some time…Supes and Bats are a great team and to be kinda alone against that? Not so fun."

"Yeah, I see what you mean," John nodded but still gave Wally a pat on the nearest shoulder. "But you pulled through. I knew you had something up there."

The last one was clearly a joke and Wally grinned back before making shushing noises. "Sh, can't let anyone hear that, I got a reputation man!"

"You sure do, kid," John chuckled along and turned back to looking down. "Imagine if people knew you use your brain once in a while."

"Yuk, that sounds horrible."

John's posture changed a bit as he started to hover inside the bubble, giving enough indication to Wally to sit up as they neared a roof close to his flat and soon enough he was placed on the roof with GL hovering near him.

"But really Kid, we know you're not dumb. Sometimes we just...forget that. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not like I usually provide more than really good jokes. I know you guys love them."

John's stuff posture relaxed slightly, it seemed he had really been worried about that, as he grinned at Wally. "I'm not so sure about that.."

Wally grinned back. "Can't fool me, I know it!... Anyway, wanna come inside for a bit?"

"No. I actually do need to be somewhere, I shouldn't take too long."

"A date, huh?"

"Maybe," John grinned as he started to fly away as he waved at Wally.

"Does Shayera know about that?"

His only answer however was John laughing at his stupid joke as he flew away. Wally briefly waved at him again and received a wave back before GL became too far away to annoy him with anything else.

Glad to have had some quality time with his friend, Wally highly suspected that had been a planned thing, he turned and left the roof to go home. He might as well catch up on some Z's after calling his work to make sure he still had one.

* * *

A week later they still hadn't talked about it and Wally had reached a point where he felt torn up as he was lying on his couch staring at the ceiling.

Should _he_ contact Bruce? Had Bruce forgotten? Or maybe he hadn't and it was just him ghosting Wally because whatever he had to say wasn't nice? That hadn't been the impression Wally had garnered before Lord Superman had interrupted them but…Wally couldn't help but assume that being home might have changed things again. Maybe whatever bubble they had existed in had burst and now they were back where they had been before all this.

Except that Bruce had actually told Wally that he had _tried_ to flirt before? That he had dropped hints? Nothing about his current situation made sense and it was driving him up the wall.

It didn't help that he had gone back to work almost immediately but was banned from the suit for the entire week. Not that _that_ had stopped him from still putting it on and doing really easy stuff. It seemed people were just glad to see him around again.

But he wondered what would happen when his medical break was over and he saw Bruce up in the Watchtower again? Would that be the right time to…_remind_ Bruce about their talk? Of course there was always the possibility of awkwardly looking at him and trying to be as non-awkward as possible while interacting.

Wally would eventually get over it, wouldn't he? That's how it worked.

Right?

Sighing, he rolled off his couch and mused up his hair. He needed a distraction and there was always one thing missing in his flat. Food.

A shopping trip would keep him occupied for a little bit. Having to watch out for his speed and the prices always used most of his attention, depending on how many people were out and about and - Wally looked out of the window. There was still daylight outside, there would be enough people out and about.

He put on a sweater, grabbed his things and left his flat. There was a nice grocery store where Wally usually chatted with the cashier as well. It was a nice guy who had recently become a dad and it was always uplifting to hear about almost every detail with such excitement only a fresh father could muster. It was almost like the man didn't miss his missed sleep.

Wally looked forward to the conversation as he entered the store, only to discover that his friend didn't seem to have a shift as someone else stood behind the counter. Still, he greeted the cashier with a smile and a nice "Hello," which he received back before he went to gather his stuff in the cart he grabbed on his way in.

It was always tempting to go for the pre-made meals and while his body wouldn't suffer from all the unhealthy stuff in there Wally just felt better after cooking for himself once in a while. If only it wouldn't take ages to do so.

Maybe he should go for the pre-made stuff after all?

He took one of the meals and looked at the ingredients as if anything in there would keep him from buying it, but he still liked to waste a bit more time and if that meant thinking his food over five times then-

"Hey."

Wally's instinctual reaction to a voice so close to the side of him was to throw whatever was in his hands at the others face but he stopped himself in a rare show of control as he recognized Bruce right beside him. Here. In the grocery store.

Did he fall asleep at home?

"Bruce?" Wally whispered pressed, glancing around briefly before looking back at Bruce who looked…comfortable. Perfectly fine for such a weather and a trip to the store. "What are you doing here?"

Bruce gave an easy smile as he picked something at random from the shelf and held it up. "Grocery shopping. Why are we whispering?"

"B-because you're Bruce Wayne? In Central city? In some random ass grocery store?"

"What, am I not allowed to do my shopping wherever I want?" Bruce seemed to find the situation way more amusing than Wally did.

There was some sputtering around before Wally found words again. "Of-of course but why here? In Central?"

"You mean here where _you_ are shopping?" Bruce's voice gradually returned to a normal range of noise and Wally automatically, without realizing it, followed suit.

"Yeah, well…I...guess?" At a loss a blush was sneaking up on Wally, albeit a mild one. After such a long silence it was rather charring to see Bruce so…_casually _standing right here in between pre-made meals with too much salt in them. Not that _that_ mattered right now.

They looked at each other for a few seconds until Bruce's smile slipped somewhat and his posture changed as he took in Wally from toe to head. A Batman like evaluation or Bruce checking him out?

"I promised a talk," Bruce began as he briefly looked at Wally's cart and then back again.

"You did.. And then didn't."

"I was busy. With Gotham and catching up. I did say after everything."

"But you didn't clarify what _everything_ was." Wally rolled his eyes. "For all I know it could have meant once you forgot about this mission. Maybe you just said it so I wouldn't bug you anymore."

The look Bruce threw him was strange but his voice stayed the same. "Is that what you think?"

"...maybe."

"Then I will have to remedy that error. I'm sorry I made you think so," Bruce said as he stepped into Wally's personal space, crowding him against the shelf behind him. "I think I might start where we had been interrupted?"

It was voiced like a question for permission that Wally didn't know he could answer. Having Bruce so close was seriously messing with his thought process. In a rare show of impatience Bruce placed a hand on Wally's neck, the thumb brushing over Wally's jawline as stared at Wally.

Maybe he should answer after all.

"Yes," he breathed out as Bruce brought their lips together and kissed him. Slow at first, almost innocent until it just wasn't enough and tongues got involved. By that time Wally had forgotten his cart and both of his hands were on Bruce, on the shoulder, the neck, sliding briefly against the hair at the nape of his neck that earned him a very low and quiet moan, accompanied by a shiver.

And then it was over, with Bruce remaining close and looking at Wally, who had gone a bit more red but looked and felt rather pleased after a whole week of worrying about having been ghosted.

"I guess…," Wally started and cleared his throat. "That's a start."

"A start?"

"Mhm. As far as I recall there's much to _discuss_ when we were interrupted."

A quiet laugh burst out of Bruce. "You are just…delightful," Bruce said after he found the right word and leaned in to give the corner of Wally's mouth a small kiss but retreated just as soon.

"That's why you _like_ me, obviously because of my bad puns."

"Of course." Bruce was obviously echoing Wally in his sarcasm, the _conversation _feeling light and…really nice.

Smiling at each other, Bruce leaned in again but stopped when someone appeared at the end of the aisle.

"Hey you guys aren't doing anything shad- Bruce Wayne?!" Apparently they had gone silent for too long or had looked too suspicious on a camera feed, Wally didn't know, but the cashier stood at the end of the aisle, looking flustered and delighted. It seemed she was a fan.

Bruce just gave her one of the usual smiles before turning back to Wally. "We should go. Grab whatever you want, my treat." And then stepped away from Wally as he corrected his coat.

Wally, flustered at having been interrupted, went for his cart again. He hadn't made much progress with putting things in and glanced at Bruce. "Are you sure? I usually buy a bit too much and then struggle getting it home." Still he moved forward and but at least a few essentials into the cart while Bruce moved along and the cashier had vanished with an exclamation that sounded like she needed paper and pen. And her phone.

"I got a car outside, don't worry about it," Bruce provided casually and put things on his own into the cart, although it seemed that he sometimes looked at a packaging to figure out what it was for.

"Wait, a car? You're officially here?"

"I told you I had some things to catch up to, some of them several business trips including Central. It just so happens that Central City was the last one."

The cart was rather full between the two of them and like an unspoken plan both moved toward the check out, placing one item after another on it while the cashier hurried along, looking flustered herself.

"So...uhh you're done with the business stuff then?" Not that Wally meant to snoop but…he also wanted to know if Bruce was going to vanish in a few minutes again.

But Bruce nodded. "I am. I wrapped everything up and I'm now free for a few days, although I should get back to Gotham in a day or two. Officially." He murmured the last word but gave Wally a slight grin anyway.

Wally smiled back, his cheeks slightly red, as he helped the cashier put the grocery in bags while Bruce got his wallet out. She abandoned Wally at some point because she handled the payment and then asked if she could have an autograph and maybe a selfie.

Bruce reacted friendly enough and indulged her while Wally put the last things into the bag, quite amused by what was happening. It was rather cute how easily Bruce handled that.

Taking the bags, Wally waited for Bruce to wish the cashier a very nice day and join him. One of the bags was taken from Wally by the time Bruce led him outside and to a rather nice-looking car that he unlocked.

The bags were soon stowed away and both seated in the car while a few people stopped and looked, clearly uncertain if it was Bruce or not. They'd probably find confirmation in the newspaper tomorrow. There was no way no one gave up that kind of information. Unless it had already been in the newspaper due to the business trip.

They didn't need to drive too far since Wally had arrived on foot at normal human speed, a comfortable silence between them despite not having really done much talking. Probably because some of Bruce's intentions had been clarified. Not with words but with behavior and that was enough for a few more minutes.

A parking space was found and this time it was Wally leading them to his flat. He struggled a bit with the keys even though Bruce had taken two bags this time and left Wally with just one. They entered his flat soon enough and placed the bags on the little table in his kitchen.

Glad to almost be done with that, Wally turned with the intention to get Bruce's coat and hang it up. And maybe clean up his flat while he was at it before Bruce could notice anything too messy.

Only that he never got that far as Bruce crowded his space again and simply kissed him by trapping Wally's head with his hands.

Wally didn't mind at all, every other intention he had had to clean up gone out the window. Who cared about that anyway?

"I would like to date you," Bruce breathed against Wally's mouth, kissed him again and followed him when Wally broke the kiss.

"Wha- date?" Wally echoed in between kissing. "Like officially? Outside of this flat?"

"Yes." Bruce's thumbs caressed Wally's cheeks, keeping him gently in place so that they could look at each other. "Unless you-"

"No! No, it's...Yeah, I'd like to date you too."

There was a pleased smile and a rather nice kiss following that statement, one Wally would have loved to continue if Bruce hadn't had more to say.

"Tonight?"

"Like, this _tonight?" _But even as he asked Wally knew how dumb that question was and blushed somewhat. "Never mind, just as long as it's nothing fancy."

"A little bit fancy?" Bruce gave him a small peck on the corner of his mouth, trying out what seemed to be a persuading look.

Thankfully, Wally had kind of perfected the puppy look and was immune to it. "No."

Bruce sighed but nodded. "Alright."

It was Wally who initiated the next kiss that quickly became a small make out session against his fridge, hands caressing jaw lines and necks and hair, until Bruce broke it again, breathing slightly heavier.

"If we move too fast-"

"You do know who you're talking to right?" Wally breathily laughed at him, his ears slightly red by now as well.

"_If _we move too fast," Bruce insisted again, the featherlight caressing of his fingers on his cheek and jawline kind of distracting from the offer.

But not distracting enough and Wally stared at Bruce's face and then down to where he smoothed the other's coats collar down again. "Would you…think differently of me if I want to keep going?" He looked up at the end again, not exactly sure what Bruce was expecting since there hadn't actually been much talking involved.

As it was he didn't have to fear anything as Bruce shook his head very slightly. "No, not at all," he said and gave Wally a small kiss again. "We do this the way we want as long as we want it."

Wally stared at Bruce for a whole second until both suddenly met again, kissing with more fervor than before.

Hands wandered again, Wally moving Bruce's coat over the other's shoulders until it could drop to the floor forgotten, as he took hold of Bruce's shirt and pulled him away after freeing himself from the fridge.

Their kiss didn't break as Bruce began to unbuttoning the very shirt Wally was pulling him by, out of the kitchen and through the living room towards the bedroom. Any kind of obstacle, usually a used shirt that Wally had promised himself to pick up later, easily stepped over.

The door to the bedroom was thankfully already open as Bruce's shirt fell away and hands found their way underneath Wally's sweater and shirt, a brief gasp torn from his throat as warm hands explored his torso. Bruce didn't explore too much before he became too impatient and pulled the sweater and shirt up at once. Wally lifted his arms to help get the articles off only for him to pull Bruce close again once they were gone.

"For the record," Wally breathed out as his hands splayed out on Bruce's chest and trailed down his abs, _finally._ "I wasn't looking at your crotch that time."

Bruce immediately grinned at him. "I know."

"But I would have wanted t-"

He was more or less tackled onto his bed, laughing while Bruce's elbows rested beside his head. Their hips pressed together as Bruce pushed his groin forward, eliciting a groan from both of them.

Hands found their way into Wally's hair as Bruce assaulted his neck with his tongue and continued to move their clothed hips together. All Wally could do was react to the stimuli as he could barely move his own arms or hips. Still he moved against Bruce, chasing the unbearing friction and wishing his pants weren't so tight. Or there at all.

There was a noise every time he exhaled, as if he couldn't physically keep it in and by this point Wally didn't care anymore. Instead he focused on Bruce's tongue and the brief feeling of his teeth, the gentle suction on his skin and the way the others skin felt against his'.

His hands slid over the others chest, in between them and then to the sides again, feeling for everything he had only seen from a little bit away until now. But Bruce proved to be very distracting, so Wally's traveling hands moved down Bruce's back, to his ass and grabbed it as a particularly loud moan was forced from him.

A shudder went through his entire body and Bruce found his mouth again, one of his hands leaving Wally's hair and trailing down his chest to where their hips met.

"Are you close?" Bruce breathed out as he opened Wally's pants, avoiding the way their still moved their hips.

"Just keep going after it."

Bruce placed his head on Wally's shoulder with a groan as his hand slipped into the pants and grabbed Wally's dick. "I was…wondering about that."

"Yeah?" Wally grinned slightly despite the mad blush on his face, down to his chest as he pushed into Bruce's hand, breath coming short. "You'll see for yourself t- _Ah!_" He didn't get to finish his sentence as he suddenly came as Bruce jerked him off.

Experimentally, Bruce stroked Wally's dick again before leaving it to sit up, earning him a whine.

"Patience," Bruce grinned and went for Wally's pants and boxers, pulling them down and over his ass to get them off.

Wally helped by pushing himself more to the center of the bed as Bruce got the pants off. "I'm not sure you know who you're talking to."

Pants thrown to the side, Bruce went for his own while kneeling on the bed. He took a small package out of one of the pockets before the rest of his clothes joined Wally's on the floor.

Wally was briefly distracted by the sight of Bruce's dick, standing hard and slightly red, twitching somewhat. Up until he saw what Bruce was holding as he closed in on Wally again. "You tell me to have patience but carry lube around?"

"That's called being prepared, not being impatient," Bruce argued with a teasing grin and leaned in to kiss Wally again. Their tongues pushed against the other just as Bruce rested between Wally's legs and undulated his hips again, their erections sliding together.

An almost relieved yet needy noise came from Wally, his arms around Bruce's neck to keep him close.

Their continued like that for a short time, hands simply exploring the skin as their hips ground together to chase the light friction.

Then one of Bruce's hands went away, only to reappear between them, one slick finger prodding Wally's hole, making Wally jerk in surprise and then relax.

"Leave that and just go for it," Wally moaned as he pushed his hip up again, feeling the way Bruce paused.

"Let me do two fingers then, for my piece of mind." And the finger pushed inside, Wally's body immediately adjusting as he made a sound of agreement and wiggled his ass a bit while Bruce nibbled on his jawline.

Bruce pushed the finger into Wally a few times until he felt satisfied enough to add a second. That one elicited a gasp from Wally who leaned his head back as Bruce gently scissored his fingers. There was a mild burn that went away only to be replaced by a new one as Bruce pushed some more.

Bruce sat up and placed his free hand on Wally's side, just so that his fingers touched Wally's ass to keep him from moving too much.

"Are you sure?" Bruce's fingers were still moving in and out, pushing and spreading the surrounding area gently.

Only that Wally gave an impatient nod and almost glared at Bruce, if the sight hadn't been so damn distracting. His dick jerked in pleasant surprise to the view itself.

But it didn't seem answer enough for Bruce, who removed his fingers and sat back on his legs to get some more lube spread on his hands. "Well?"

Maybe glaring at Bruce wouldn't give Wally the desired outcome. "I am."

"Good."

Wally was treated to the sight of Bruce jerking himself once, twice, to spread lube there as well before he lined himself up to Wally's hole and gently started to push in.

It was an unbearably slow process with Bruce insisting on the set pace as he pressed further and further, spreading Wally around his dick.

Both were breathless by the time Bruce closed the last bit of space between them, one arm besides Wally to bear his own weight while he was more or less flush against him.

Wally slightly moved around and clenched around Bruce, earning him a really nice, deep, throaty noise that made his dick twitch between their bodies. He had stretched wonderfully around the other and now felt full to the point of bursting, all he needed was-

"Please move," Wally all but insisted in a needy voice as a hand was placed on his side while Bruce started to slowly move out again, to test if it was really as fine as Wally seemed to make it.

And then he pushed in again, just a bit faster only to stop again as Wally came a second time, tensing up wonderfully around Bruce and stealing his breath again.

Bruce took that as his cue and started to move in earnest, helping Wally ride out his orgasm as his stomach became a wonderful mess.

At this point noises left the both of them, with Wally's hands keeping Bruce's face close to him, peppering with kisses and nibbles to the jaw, distracting him from his rhythm while he kept moving against him.

Bruce growled weakly once, causing Wally to give a breathy laugh as everything became just a bit more erratic. Bruce took Wally's dick in hand and started to jerk him off in tandem with his rhythm.

Already sensitive, Wally barely could keep up to the point where he came again just as he meant to give Bruce a kiss, causing him to lean against the others face instead, gasping against Bruce's cheek. The way he tensed around Bruce pulled the other with him, making Bruce's muscles lock up as he pressed against and into Wally as he came, breathing noisily rather than making any real sound.

Bruce gave Wally a lazy kiss, too breathless for anything more and he took control of his body again and pulled out of Wally.

Wally jerked from the feeling while Bruce carried his own weight and splayed his hands over Wally's shoulders and chest. "You flush…lovingly." He followed Wally's flushed skin up the neck and over the jawline, right to the ears with his fingers, causing goosebumps to appear only to vanish again. Something that clearly fascinated Bruce as well.

"Curse of a ginger, I suppose," Wally chuckled and rested one of his hands over Bruce's without taking the others hand away.

"Or maybe it's just you."

Wally pursed his lips, amused. "My own curse then, fine."

Bruce shook his head and leaned down to give Wally a proper kiss, pressing himself skin to skin again up until he recognized Wally's erection pressed in between their bodies. "You're still hard?"

What might have been a flush before became even redder. "Mhh yeah, just leave it."

"I could do something about it, if you want?"

"You could, but you don't need to. I'm quite..satisfied," Wally smiled and got himself another kiss as Bruce left the space between Wally's legs and lied down beside him, their heads still a bit too far away for the pillows.

"We should clean up," Bruce said after sighing a bit while he put one of his hands on Wally's skin, smearing lube there as well.

Wally shrugged. "Just use the sheets, I'll change them later." Not waiting for a reply, Wally rolled to the side and latched onto Bruce's arm not unlike how he had done at the alternate Kent's farm. Only that this time there was no clothing involved. Bruce hugged him back as well, placing his chin on Wally's head.

" So..," Wally began after a little bit of silence that thankfully hadn't been awkward. "You…really want to go out tonight?"

There was a throaty chuckle that Wally could feel on his hair. "Yes, unless you changed your mind about dating me?" Despite Bruce's confident manner Wally could hear some form of insecurity in there. Was Bruce afraid Wally didn't like him anymore after having sex with him?

"God no. I was just enjoying that were back in one bed, so…another sleepover?"

His try to ease the insecurity that Bruce seemed to experience must have worked, based on the others laugh and the way he received a kiss to the forehead.

"Yes, I'd like another sleepover. After going out."

Humming, Wally shifted and leaned up to kiss Bruce's jaw and then his mouth once Bruce followed suit. "Mhh, yeah. Sounds like a plan."

"Perfect. I might need your shower in a bit."

Chuckling, Wally gave Bruce another peck before resting his head again. "No objection here. Use whatever you want, I just don't have any clothes that you could borrow?" And they would be a very tight fit, if they fit at all. Even his most loose sweaters.

Bruce muzzled into Wally's hair before slowly sitting up and drawing his knees slightly closer so that he could put his arms on them, once Wally let his arm go. "I've got enough clothes in the car. This _was_ a business trip."

"As always prepared," Wally smiled as Bruce turned to him and pushed the hair out of Wally's eyes, giving him a softer smile.

"I'm glad you're not angry with me. I didn't mean to make you wait so long."

"Nh, what's a week, huh?" Wally tried to play off before adding "Was it at least a little bit hard on you? Making me wait?"

Bruce nodded. "There were quite a few times where I wanted to stand up and leave but I didn't want to portray myself as this…sappy romantic like people see in movies."

"Ah well, you _endured_." Amused, Wally took Bruce's hand and squeezed it briefly before letting go and stretching himself out. Relaxing again he catched Bruce looking him all over but not saying anything as Bruce started to get up from the bed.

"Do you have a place in mind? Now that fancy isn't allowed anymore?" Wally sat up, hugged his knees close and watched Bruce pick up the strewn about clothes only to put them on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sure you've got quite a few places in mind that I can take you to. I suppose I'll have to find more casual clothes in the trunk then."

"_I'm _sure Alfred wouldn't let you leave without an outfit for every occasion." Bruce threw him an almost annoyed look due to being this predictable in that regard, making Wally chuckle and wink at him. "It will be fine. You'll stick out no matter what, with your looks!"

The annoyed look became an amused eye roll. "Your confidence in my looks astounds me."

"I _did_ experience them first hand."

"Mh," Bruce grinned. "That you did."

Both smiled at each other then, until Wally shrugged and got off the bed as well. "Better catch that shower then huh? I'll clean up a bit and then hit the shower as well."

A sly look entered Bruce's face as he glanced from Wally to the bed and back again. "It would be quite a shame if you cleaned up only to get it dirty again."

"Huh?" Confused, Wally blinked at Bruce until the other stepped closer. "Ah.. _Oh_." His skin slowly flushing again. "Do you want me t-"

Wally didn't get to finish his question as Bruce kissed him with fervor again while pushing him back to the bed.

* * *

It was quite some time later when they found themselves in a small diner. The waiter, someone who Wally talked to from time to time, had been a bit nervous once he recognized who was with Wally, only for Wally to act as he usually did. As if he didn't have Bruce Wayne in tow.

It was quite amusing to watch and not as bad as it could have been since the waiter left them alone for most of the time. One couldn't help but feel eyes on them from time to time.

Although that could have been one of the other patrons too. So far no one had been brave enough to come up to them.

There was still some food left over on the table, mostly because Wally had to appear like taking a break in between snatching some of the fries. Their conversation had dwindled to an easy silence.

Until Wally spoke up again.

"Do you think the others will mind? This I mean?" With one fry in hand he pointed between the two. The thought had been there the entire time since Bruce had promised to talk to him but…it hadn't really been at the forefront of his mind.

Bruce seemed to muse this over as he propped his elbows on the table. "Because of what happened over there? No. I think they'll trust us enough to know what we're doing….Do _you_ think the same will happen to us?"

Despite the other dimension being like a weird, distorted mirror, making it seem as if it was a set thing for them…even _despite_ that Wally found that he didn't think so.

"I trust you," Wally said.

And Bruce echoed his smile. "I trust you too."


End file.
